St. Clair County Medical Health Officer Dr. Annette Mercatante spoke with Local 4 about why the county is dropping its school masks mandate.

The St. Clair County Health Department is suspending COVID-19 rapid PCR testing for Canadian and other travelers "due to limitations in testing supplies" the department announced Wednesday.

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St. Clair County is Michigan’s top county in new coronavirus cases per-capita.

The St. Clair County Health Department is recommending businesses to allow remote working, if at all possible, in response to the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases in the community. According to a press release, there have been 1,080 new cases since March 20, representing a 20.2% positivity rate. Social Distancing: Employees should maintain 6 feet physical distancing as work duties permit. Cohort Employees: Staff should work with a single cohort (group) if possible to limit potentialexposures. Send Sick Employees Home Immediately: Sick employees Sick employees should be tested for COVID-19 before returning and follow appropriate isolation or quarantine guidelines“Given the significant increase in cases, we must double down on our mitigation efforts”, said Dr. Annette Mercatante, medical health officer of the St. Clair County Health Department.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – The St. Clair County Health Department announced that it is planning to launch a new COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration system on Friday. “We hope the community finds this new pre-registration system helpful. As more vaccine becomes available, vaccination opportunities will as well, including even more options for our residents,” said Dr. Annette Mercatante, St. Clair County medical health officer. Michigan COVID-19 vaccinations: How to find appointments, info on phasesAdOfficials said anyone living or working in the county and interested in pre-registering should visit www.scchealth.co. The link will be labeled as “Pre-Registration for COVID-19 Vaccine.”Individuals would need to select the “sign up” option, create a user name and password.

There will be a new pre-registration system next month for people 65+ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – The St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for people who are 65 years old and older on Friday. They are able to host the event due to a one-time redistribution of vaccine from McLaren Port Huron. McLaren Port Huron is committed to a healthier community and partnering with the St. Clair County Health Department to provide COVID-19 vaccinations is an important step in achieving that goal. McLaren Port Huron President & CEO Eric CecavaWhat to know about the clinicThe clinic has been completely booked. New pre-registration systemThe health department is preparing to launch a new pre-registration system that is expected to go live next month.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – Over the last two months, the number of COVID-19 cases has been slowly trending upward in St. Clair County. However, during the last two weeks, the increase has been more substantial with the average number of new cases per day jumping 55 percent, according to the St. Clair County Health Department. Due to the increase, the county’s health department continues to strongly urge residents to adhere to proven public health prevention practices. “As St. Clair County residents and as proud Americans, we know what we have to do to slow the spread of transmission because we did it before. General questions can be directed to the St. Clair County COVID-19 hotline at 810-966-4163 or by email at covid19@stclaircounty.org.

Following the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling on the governor’s emergency powers, the St. Clair County Health Department is encouraging residents to stay the course with COVID-19 prevention measures. This is a public health advisory from the St. Clair County Health Department, not a mandate. Other county health departments, such as Oakland County’s, have issued orders that keep a mask mandate in place for public places. "St. Clair County or the community cannot risk losing control of viral transmission at this critical time, and have only these few basic tools to manage this risk. St. Clair County does not want to see our success unravel, and see cases and deaths increase.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. – Officials said the third coronavirus case in Michigan is a St. Clair County man. St. Clair County officials said Thursday that the new presumptive case is a middle-aged resident who had recently traveled domestically. The first two cases -- a person from Wayne County and a person from Oakland County -- were confirmed Tuesday night. How easily the virus spreadsHow easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily.