EDITOR'S NOTE: The state has adjusted its total number of positive COVID-19 cases as of Thursday night to 334. It was previously listed at 336 at Michigan.gov/coronavirus and in this story.

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A new total of seven cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in St. Clair County Thursday, according to the St. Clair County Health Department.

That's up from the two presumptive cases in the same home that had tested positive for COVID-19 as of early this week.

The new total statewide, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, was 549 Friday.

According to a release, the five new individuals confirmed as positive were listed as a 61-year-old man, 41-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man with no travel who were recovering at home; another 41-year-old woman with no travel and who was being hospitalized; and a 50-year-old man who had traveled internationally and was recovering at home.

The health department has previously declined to name potential points of contact or where those individuals reside in St. Clair County, but according to the release, there were 55 people being monitored, as well as 80 of their contacts.

"We do, in fact, have community transmission at this time," Dr. Annette Mercatante, medical health officer for the health department, said in a statement. "People who feel well do not need testing. If there is contact (with) a positive COVID case, our staff will evaluate the situation and determine if contacts need testing. We are trying to preserve testing for those who need medical care, who are most vulnerable, and those that are critical to our epidemiological investigation.

"Most people will have mild symptoms and recover without any event, but the elderly and people with chronic disease do need to avoid contact with people."

The St. Clair County Health Department notified media Wednesday that daily updates would be emailed around 4 p.m. The state updates data daily at 2 p.m.

The first two cases in Michigan were confirmed on March 10, and St. Clair County's first March 12. A state of emergency was also declared in Michigan last week, and the World Health Organization began calling the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

Earlier this week, the local health department had declared a public health emergency that, according to officials, would help open up resources to deal with the crisis.

In that time, a series of closures and cancellations have kept thousands of residents at home amid the pandemic.

For further COVID-19 information visit cdc.gov/coronavirus, Michigan.gov/coronavirus, or scchealth.co. Follow the Health Department on social media @scchdmi. A general COVID-19 Informational Hotline is available — (810) 966-4163 — 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or email questions to covid19@stclaircounty.org.

Jackie Smith is the local government reporter for the Times Herald. Have questions or a story idea? Contact her at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.