What is already known about this topic?
COVID-19 incidence grew sharply in Wisconsin during September–November 2020; however, the underlying cause of this rapid growth is unknown.
What is added by this report?
An examination of COVID-19 outbreaks in Wisconsin showed that cases linked to outbreaks on college and university campuses increased sharply in August 2020 and were followed by outbreaks in other high-risk congregate settings. Overall, outbreaks at long-term care facilities (26.8%), correctional facilities (14.9%), and colleges or universities (15.0%) accounted for the largest numbers of outbreak-associated cases in Wisconsin.
What are the implications for public health practice?
COVID-19 surveillance and mitigation planning should be prioritized for highly affected settings such as long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, and colleges and universities, which could represent early indicators of broader community transmission.
As of Thursday, a total of 426,411 vaccines have been administered throughout Wisconsin.
A total of 83,055 Wisconsin residents have gotten both doses of the vaccine, on Friday.
DHS now has a county-level dashboard to assess the COVID-19 activity level in counties and Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalition regions that measure what DHS calls the burden in each county. View the dashboard HERE.
Information from DHS now provides a breakdown of their data in a new interactive map. It can show users data by county, municipality, school district, or zip code. Find the map here.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said that 24 people are hospitalized in the Western Region of the state, which is comprised of Buffalo, Trempealeau, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Vernon, and Crawford counties. It is an increase of six from the day before. Two people are currently in intensive care or one more than yesterday.
Wisconsin teachers next in line to get COVID-19 vaccine
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Last updated on January 28th, 2021 at 01:05 pm
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Tuesday which groups will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 1.
The groups in priority order include education and child care staff, individuals enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs, some public-facing essential workers, non-frontline health care essential personnel, and staff and residents in congregate living settings.
DHS stressed that March 1 is a tentative date, depending on vaccine supply. Currently, Wisconsin is receiving about 70,000 vaccine doses from the federal government weekly.
“We’re going to keep getting shots in arms as quickly as possible and as soon we have vaccines available,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “In the meantime, we have to continue working together to prevent the spread of this virus by wearing face coverings and limiting gatherings with others while we v
Wisconsin doctors are raising concerns about new, more contagious COVID-19 variants, which may be able to re-infect those who already recovered from the virus. Continuing Coverage: Coronavirus in WisconsinThose strains were first identified in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Wisconsin identified its first case of the U.K. variant in January. Health officials confirmed the first U.S. case of the Brazil variant in Minnesota Monday. These mutations of the COVID-19 virus appear to move from person-to-person more rapidly than the original strain. Right now, there is no evidence it causes a more severe illness or increased risk of death, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Specifically, the Brazil strain has shown, additional mutations that may affect its ability to be recognized by antibodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This means that people who’ve been infected with COVID in the past may be prone to reinfection from