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UW Health reports practically nonexistent Flu season

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Wisconsin is seeing virtually no flu cases this season. As of Wednesday, UW Health reported treating only one case of influenza all season. Compare that to a year ago, when UW Health had seen more than 1,000 by this time.

“The decline in flu numbers is encouraging because I think it would have been worse if we had high numbers of COVID-19 cases coinciding with influenza cases,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health. “In light of this sharp drop in flu cases, the public might consider wearing masks in public during flu season in the future, regardless of the COVID-19 situation.”

The precautions people are using to stay safe from COVID-19: such as wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, and staying home, are credited for the dramatic decrease in flu cases.

Evers announces new community vaccine clinic at Blackhawk Technical College

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Blackhawk Technical College will host Wisconsin’s first community-based COVID-19 vaccine clinic.

Governor Tony Evers toured the Janesville campus Wednesday in the clinic space that normally hosts the college’s student center.

The vaccines will be administered by AMI Expeditionary Healthcare as part of a partnership with the state Department of Health Services.

Governor Evers said they chose Blackhawk Tech and Rock County because of their already-established clinic infrastructure and the need to reach residents who might not have access to the vaccine at an area health system.

The vaccines will be available to any Wisconsin resident who is eligible for the shots under the state’s priority groups.

Evers said the clinic can vaccinate up to 250 people per day starting next Tuesday, but the state needs a greater supply of vaccines for the clinic to reach its full capacity.

He credited the Biden administration’s vaccine rollout for helping Wisconsin improve its rate of vaccinating residents, with better communication and planning from the federal level.

WCLO

DHS urges continued vigilance as COVID-19 numbers continue downward trend

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The seven day average of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday – 970 – marks the first time since September that the number has been below 1,000.

“That’s really good news. On the other hand, when we were on the upslope of this curve, and we were hitting 970 cases a day, we thought we were in dire straits,” Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said. “It is all relative, and as we’ve said this is still far too high a rate.”

Health authorities urge the public to continue wearing masks and social distancing, and say that’s critical to slow spread of new variants of the virus.

“We should be pleased with the progress we’ve made, but we should be vigilant and really take seriously the risk that a second and additional wave of infections could occur,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the state’s chief medical officer. “So we are not out of the woods yet, and the novel variants are a big part of why we need to remain vigilant.”

 

Second case of new coronavirus variant detected in Wisconsin

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A second case of a new coronavirus variant has been detected in Wisconsin, according to the state Department of Health Services. Dr. Ryan Westergaard, the state’s chief medical officer, said this could be the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s likely that there are other cases that have not been detected,” Westergaard said. “What we’ve heard from other states that have detected a larger number is that a substantial number of them have not had international travel. So that is evidence that there is community spread of these novel variants.”

The latest case of the so-called UK variant confirmed in Waukesha County follows an earlier case in Eau Claire County last month.

Westergaard said the best way to prevent spread of “all” COVID-19 variants is to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, as well as getting more people vaccinated. “We need to do all the things that we know how to do to prevent the spread of all COVID-19, and that’s the only way to minimize the community spread of novel variant. It’s also the way to prevent the spread of new variants.”

Evers adds funding for early education, long term care to proposed state budget

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Governor Tony Evers is previewing parts of his proposed state budget, including a new series of grants for those who are caring for their children and loved ones during the pandemic.

The programs will offer up 140 million dollars in total for early childhood programs, and 600 million dollars for long term care programs and those who are stay at home caregivers.

Evers says investing in childcare and the elderly is a moral issue, and not just an economic one and that the pandemic has shown just how frayed the social net in Wisconsin is. Evers is set to announce the full budget proposal next week.

Pace of vaccinations picks up amid decrease in new COVID-19 cases

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There were fewer than 600 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin on Monday.

One more person was added to the total of those who have died in Wisconsin due to COVID-19, according to numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. That brings the total to 6,055 lives lost.

There were just 543 confirmed positive cases reported, on just over 3700 hundred tests. DHS also reported 34 people were newly hospitalized.

Also as of Monday, one-third of people ages 65 or older in Wisconsin had received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine.

The DHS COVID-19 dashboard indicated nearly 299,000 people in the age group have had one shot. DHS reports that 767,020 doses of the shot have been given out in all, with preliminary data showing that 165,370 of them are second doses.

More than 12 percent of the state’s female population have also received at least one dose, while about 7 percent of men have received one vaccination.

Stay safe if you need to be outside this week

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Dress appropriately

Very cold temperatures have settled in across Wisconsin this week, and that means taking precautions if you’re spending any time outdoors. Andrew Becket with Wisconsin Emergency Management explains the signs of hypothermia.

“With hypothermia, you should be looking for signs like excessive shivering, exhaustion, confusion, slurred speech. If you start to experience things like that or notice that in anyone who’s around you, you should contact 911 or your medical provider as soon as possible.”

Along with hypothermia, Beckett said frostbite is a real possibility during extreme cold weather.

“With frostbite, skin that looks white or grayish yellow, feels unnaturally firm or waxy. If you have general numbness or extreme numbness, you should detect those symptoms and get to a warm area. Don’t try to rub vigorously or anything, it can cause more damage.”

If you must be outdoors, make sure you’re dressed appropriately.

“Wear loose fitting layers, a hat, gloves, snow boots, make sure you have a scarf or something to cover your face,” Beckett said. “You want to limit the amount of exposed skin as much as possible, because that’s really where you’re going to get into trouble, is exposing that skin to the elements and the extreme cold, especially with those wind chills that could be in excess of 30 below zero.”

You can find a comprehensive list of cold weather safety recommendations at dma.wi.gov.

Evers will include marijuana legalization in budget proposal

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Governor Tony Evers says he’ll include legalization of recreational marijuana in the  two-year budget proposal he’ll introduce next week.

The drug would be regulated and taxed in much the same way the state does with alcohol. Wisconsin would join 15 other states that have already legalized recreational marijuana, including Michigan and Illinois.

According to the governor, this would generate about $165 million annually. Evers wants much of that funneled into a development fund for local communities and funding for small, rural school districts.

In announcing the idea on Sunday, the Democratic governor cited a 2019 Marquette Law School Poll, which found nearly 60 percent of respondents in support of legalizing marijuana and 83 percent support for legalization of medical marijuana.

Evers’ previous budget proposed legalizing medical marijuana, an idea which Republicans in the Legislature rejected.

Wisconsin surpasses 6,000 COVID-19 deaths

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Wisconsin has surpassed 6,000 COVID-19 deaths. The state Department of Health Services on Friday reported 28 additional deaths, bringing the toll in Wisconsin to 6,020 lives lost since the start of the global pandemic.

DHS reported 1,266 new cases Friday, bringing the seven day average of new daily cases to 1,186. 4,460 tested negative. DHS also reported 100 new hospitalizations.

GOP-authored COVID-19 relief package passes Senate, is immediately vetoed by Governor Evers

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A Republican-authored COVID-19 relief package has ended a month-long trip through the Legislature with the Governor’s veto.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu urged Governor Evers to sign the legislation after it passed the Senate on Friday. 

“The governor needs to sign this bill. This bill is vitally important for the state of Wisconsin. Do you know why the governor needs to sign this bill? There are many important extensions of Act 185, very many important extensions.”

LeMahieu says that they wanted to protect businesses who were doing the right thing. 

“I wouldn’t let local Health departments unilaterally shut down a Main Street business that’s trying to operate, that’s had a year now to put CDC guidelines in place and operate safely. We shouldn’t have local Health Departments just shutting down a business.”

But Senator Jon Erpenbach said that Senate Republicans strayed away from the compromise they’d made with the Governor earlier this year. 

“So at the end of the day, Mr. President, we’re left with nothing. A big fat zero of doing anything to try and help out not only Wisconsinites but Wisconsin businesses, help them get open, help schools get open, anything.”

Erpenbach says that Republicans have stapled policy choices onto the bill that go far beyond supporting the people of Wisconsin during the pandemic.

“And now we’re taking this legislation and basically saying that the governor can’t order a mask mandate, even though I already has, but he can order an emergency order just to collect money. That’s not going to keep Wisconsinites safe, Mr. President, and I think we all know that!”

Immediately after the bill passed on Friday, Governor Evers announced a veto.

Alongside some extensions of the previous relief package, the bill would have stripped more powers away from the Governor’s desk including control over where federal relief funding is spent. It would have also restricted Governor Evers from issuing any more mask orders. 

Evers and Senate Republicans originally reached a compromise on the package, but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos balked at that, and accused the Governor of not negotiating fairly with the entire Legislature.