ESCANABA — The Upper Peninsula had 7,212 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,117 probable cases, 130 deaths and 25 probable deaths linked to the disease, as of Friday according to state officials.

Delta County had a total of 1,486 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 36 probable cases, 158 deaths, seven probable deaths and 642 recovered cases (recovered cases include probable cases); Menominee County had 810 confirmed cases, 86 probable cases, seven deaths and 428 recovered cases; Schoolcraft County had 121 confirmed cases, five probable cases, and one probable death.

Elsewhere in the peninsula, Alger County had 101 confirmed cases, 34 probable cases and one death; Baraga County had 146 confirmed cases, 27 probable cases and four deaths; Chippewa County had 145 confirmed cases and 136 probable cases; Dickinson County had 894 confirmed cases, 26 probable case, 23 deaths and one probable death; Gogebic County had 378 confirmed cases, 150 probable cases, six deaths and 10 probable death; Houghton County had 886 confirmed cases, 187 probable cases, one death and 24 probable deaths; Iron County had 502 confirmed cases, 32 probable cases, 24 deaths and four probable deaths; Keweenaw County had 24 confirmed cases, one probable case and one death; Luce County had 72 confirmed cases, 31 probable cases and one probable death; Mackinac County had 146 confirmed cases and 40 probable cases; Marquette County had 1,334 confirmed cases, 184 probable cases and 19 deaths; and Ontonagon County had 167 confirmed cases, 20 probable cases and one death.

The state does not include infections or deaths within the Michigan Department of Corrections system in county-by-county counts.

The LMAS District Health Department, which services Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft Counties, issued a press release Friday addressing the spike in cases that occurred in the last month.

At the beginning of October, Luce, Mackinac, Alger, and Schoolcraft counties had a combined total of 134 COVID-19 cases. As of Nov. 5, the total across the LMAS counties is 547, an increase of 308%. The first two deaths from COVID-19 in the district occurred in October.

There is no specific event, activity, or location that LMAS District Health Department has identified in this rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Some are household members of a person who tested positive. Others test positive while in quarantine due to being a close contact of a case. Some cases are associated with gatherings — large or small. In other cases, LMAS is unable to identify the source of the infection, which indicates community spread.

LMAS staff continue to work every day and at all hours, to protect the health of residents, workers and visitors in our four counties. Testing, contact tracing, and case investigations are time-intensive, but vital components to slowing and reducing the spread of the virus which causes COVID-19.