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WILL files lawsuit against Dane County health order, County Executive Parisi says order is needed for public safety

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Dane County and Madison will be stepping up to defend their health department in a lawsuit against health orders.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty wants the State Supreme Court to directly strike down an order restricting indoor gatherings in Dane County.

WILL President and General Counsel Rick Esenberg says the new order is invalid because the county board and city council did not vote on it. “The latest order from the health department in Dane County illustrates why a single, unelected and unaccountable health official should not be allowed to rule unilaterally by decree.”

“Banning private family gatherings just before Thanksgiving, while allowing Black Friday shopping, makes little sense.”

WILL is skipping Dane County Circuit Court entirely and asking the State Supreme Court to rule immediately on the lawsuit.

Dane County executive Joe Parisi says that Public Health Madison-Dane County has the authority to issue orders. “Our legal team is confident that we have the authority that’s been utilized by the city and the county and by the public health department and we will defend it vigorously in court.”

Parisi says this is just another effort to undermine health orders that are desperately needed to protect the public from COVID-19. “What they are attempting to do right now is to strike down the entire order and our ability to use the tools at our disposal to try to protect our community.”

“Let’s take a 30 day time out, let us get through two incubation cycles of the virus, and this could have a tangible impact on the spread, and provide some much-needed relief to our hospital system.”

Parisi says the city and the county will be defending the order vigorously in court. 

Sunday saw no new COVID-19 deaths for first time in more than a month

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State public health officials report the number of positive test results for COVID-19 was down Sunday — generally the lowest day of the week for new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. There were also no new deaths reported for the first time in more than a month.

The positive test rate was 23.5% out of nearly 15,000 tests processed.

Wisconsin hospitals say they are currently treating 1988 patients, including 428 in intensive care units. The number of patients hospitalized has fallen by nearly 300 since last Tuesday.

Saturday’s numbers from DHS included 6,224 new positive cases, 190 hospitalizations and 51 deaths.

 

Wisconsin ships one millionth N95 mask

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced has announced milestone amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Wisconsin has shipped its one millionth N95 mask through the state distribution system, according to a statement released by Evers’ office on Monday.

“Ensuring frontline workers, first responders, and local communities have access to PPE— especially N95 masks— has been a top priority for us since the beginning of this pandemic. I want to extend my thanks to the state workers, local emergency management, and public health partners who have played a critically important role in this process and have worked tirelessly to ensure these lifesaving masks and other critical supplies are getting where they are needed most.”

The masks were shipped through a supply chain that was established in the spring by Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Department of Health Services, and other state partners.

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) works with county and tribal emergency managers to identify local needs and critical shortages. Regular shipments are then sent from a state warehouse facility, with local partners distributing allocations based on their assessments of local needs.

In addition to N95 masks, the SEOC and its partners have helped distribute other critical PPE supplies, including:

Over 16.1 million non-surgical and non-medical face masks

Over 7.9 million pairs of non-surgical and non-medical gloves

Over 1.7 million non-surgical and non-medical gloves

Nearly 225,000 KN95 respirators

Over 393,000 face shields and goggles

Over 30,000 thermometers

Almost 279,000 containers of hand sanitizer and disinfectants

More than 94,000 coveralls

WTAQ

Turn your deer into tasty venison with tips from the DNR and UW-Extension

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Once you’ve got your deer on the ground this season, now comes the time to turn that deer into tasty food.

DNR wildlife management director Eric Loebner says adding deer meat to your diet is a great way to get lean, healthy protein. 

“Making that homegrown sustainable organic meat protein source, you know really it’s unique to the experience and it certainly adds to the experience and as well.”

There’s more and more interest these days in processing and butchering deer at home, rather than taking it to a meat processor according to Loebner.

“There’s even videos out there now about the whole nuances of making your own meat at home, whether you’re making sausage or whether you’re making bacon.”

The UW-Extension offers tips and classes on handling your own deer, as well as canning and preservation processes.

Loebner says it’s important to be ready to field dress your deer by yourself while COVID-19 continues.

Temperatures are getting cool enough to properly hang a deer, but won’t freeze it outside, so be sure to get your deer to a processor or cut it up yourself before too long. 

Evers declares new public health emergency and face covering order to address continuing COVID-19 crisis

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As promised, Governor Tony Evers on Friday declared a new public health emergency in response to Wisconsin’s coronavirus crisis.

Evers noted that “hospitals are operating at or very near full capacity and healthcare providers are struggling to keep up with the demand for care.” He also issued a new statewide mask order. Both are effective immediately and will expire after 60 days — well into the New Year.

The governor’s actions came as the state Department of Health Services reports another 78 COVID-19 related deaths for Friday.

That brings the statewide toll since the start of the pandemic to 2,954. DHS reported 6,473 new confirmed cases and 190 people newly hospitalized. The 3-day average number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has doubled in the past month.

More than 15,500 Wisconsinites have had to be hospitalized, up from just over 9500 a month ago.

Also on Friday, Evers met virtually with Republican legislative leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and new Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu to discuss a pandemic response.

That meeting came after months of inaction by the Republican controlled legislature, and continued GOP supported legal efforts to block Evers’ actions. Both lawmakers and the governor released statements, saying the meeting was productive, but did not provide details on what, if anything, they are prepared to agree on.

 

Pocan urges hiring of additional contact tracers in Wisconsin

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A member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation is urging state officials in Madison to hire additional contact tracers, as public health agencies struggle to keep up with an explosion of new coronavirus cases in the state.

Second District Congressman Mark Pocan said Thursday that Wisconsin is in a dire situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, and that a lack of contact tracers has a lot to do with that.

“We have to do more on contact tracing, and we have to do more ten weeks ago, but I’ll take today,” Pocan said during a Zoom call with reporters. “They’ve been talking about it for weeks. That is weeks too late. We need to get this need to get this done, if we’re ever going to address the numbers we have in the state. Honestly we just need more urgency, period.”

Pocan’s comments came as Democratic Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders announced that they would meet for the first time in months, to discuss a pandemic response strategy.

The Democrat expressed frustration with those legislative leaders — and the Evers’ administration

“Governor Evers is one of the most decent people I know and have ever known in politics. I think there are people around him who are not doing him favors,” Pocan said. “I think that they are not accomplishing as much as they could, given how bad the legislature has been.”

The contact tracers’ job is to quickly notify close contacts of those who test positive, so that those people can quarantine and break the chain of transmission. Pocan himself quarantined after learning his mother tested positive for COVID-19. He tested negative last Friday and is to receive a second test Friday.

Evers and Republican legislative leaders to discuss coronavirus response

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Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders are meeting Friday, to discuss a coronavirus strategy. The virtual link up will be the first face to face discussion between the Democratic governor and Republican leadership in months.

With deaths, cases and hospitalizations continuing to climb, and Wisconsin Hospitals Association President Eric Borgerding urging them to take unified action, Evers will meet with incoming Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

READ: WHA letter to the governor and legislative leadership

“My hope is that we have every chance to sit down, find common ground,” Vos told WKOW 27 News on Thursday. “There are certainly things that he has proposed that we won’t support, and I’m sure he’ll feel the same way. But that’s the art of compromise.”

Vos said he agrees with the Hospitals Association that the state needs more COVID testing and contact tracers. Earlier this week, Evers sent the Republican leaders legislation to address COVID-19.

Average daily COVID-19 death rate exceeds 50 for first time

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The average daily number of COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin is now over 50. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 83 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to 2,876.

The average daily death count is now over 50 for the first time.

DHS reported 6,635 new cases and a daily positive test rate of about 34.5 percent. The seven-day positive test rate fell for a third straight day, to 33.1 percent.

The Wisconsin Hospitals Association reported 2,104 hospitalized patients with 427 in ICUs. While both those numbers were down from Thursday, the situation in Wisconsin hospitals remains critical.

 

Recount now underway in Dane and Milwaukee Counties, says WEC

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Wisconsin’s partial presidential election recount is now underway.

Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meghan Wolfe says local officials in Dane and Milwaukee Counties will be the ones handling things.

“Those counties have already begun talking with the parties to make sure that they understand the process for designating representatives and for making sure that people will have opportunities to engage with the process and to be able to meaningfully engage with offering those objections and challenges and information.”

Wolfe says that while outside observers will still be welcome to watch the proceedings, they are not allowed to interfere with the recount process.

“They could certainly raise their concerns or their objections to somebody like the primary representative for the candidate, and if they felt like that was information that needed to be brought before the board of canvassers they could.”

Selected officials with either the Biden or Trump campaign will be able to inspect or challenge ballots, and observers can be on hand at a safe distance to watch the proceedings. The exact process will be up to local officials in either Milwaukee or Madison.

There’s also been a discussion on getting a full audit of the state’s voting equipment. Wolfe says that by law they have to inspect 3% of the voting machines in the state every election, but that they check 5%.

“Again, we’ve never had a problem that resulted from the voting equipment audits, but if there were that of course would be a huge deal and something that we would bring to the commission and the public’s attention immediately so that they can address next steps.”

Wolfe says that those audits are performed on random machines across the state through a hand counting method, so technically the machines that are under a recount are also being audited at this time.

The recount will have to be completed by December 1st. 

Evers says he will extend mask mandate into New Year

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One day after Wisconsin saw the highest single-day increase in COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, Governor Tony Evers has extended a State of Emergency, and reissued his original mask mandate.

“I’m announcing I’ll be declaring a new State of Emergency this week, and extending our public health emergency until January of next year,” Evers said Wednesday. “We will also be reissuing Emergency Order Number One, requiring face coverings in public places.”

Evers is also asking Republican legislative leaders to withdraw their support for a lawsuit that seeks to block the mask mandate. That suit is currently under consideration by the state Supreme Court.

“Republicans in the legislature support this effort. That’s why today I’m also once again calling on Republicans to withdraw their support for this lawsuit, and publicly support our new public health emergency, and face coverings order.”

Interim Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said hospitals are under increasing stress, as the coronavirus pandemic remains essentially unchecked in Wisconsin.

“Hospital staff are out sick, unable to come to work because they have tested positive for COVID-19, or because they are in quarantine. One-third of Wisconsin hospitals are reporting a current critical staffing shortage. Forty-one percent expect a critical staffing shortage within in a week.”

Palm said there are zero ICU beds available in one region of the state, and only nine available in another.

Palm said Wisconsin hospital staffs are doing “heroic work” amid the pandemic – and need our help.

“This is an emergency we cannot solve through health care workers and our hospital system. It is up to each of us to solve it by taking action to stop the spread in the first place. We owe it to these front line health care workers to stay home, and prevent further transmission of this virus.”