COVID-19 Pandemic Update for the Afternoon of March 31st: Fourth Case in Clark County
Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 -- 2:10 PM
COVID-19 UpdateMarch 31st, Afternoon
We have a COVID-19 update for you this afternoon.
The Clark County Health Department (CCHD) is confirming that there is now a fourth positive case of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Clark County.
All four cases had been in close contact with each other at one point. Currently, all four individuals are at home and in isolation. The CCHD has conducted an investigation of the newly identified case and is following-up with others with whom this individual had close contact.
In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and by the guidance of the Clark County Attorney, the Clark County Health Department will not be releasing the locations, ages, or genders of any confirmed or pending COVID-19 cases.
“It is our utmost duty to protect the identity of those we are serving. Yes, some counties have disclosed the locations of their positive cases. However, in pretty much every instance, those towns or cities are much larger than the towns we have here in Clark County. For example, if one of our cases were to be in Willard, Longwood, or Humbird, that automatically narrows it down to less than 900 people and several of these communities are very tight knit; people know each other. That isn’t fair to the patient or person who has tested positive. Regardless of where the positive cases are located in the county, all residents should already be abiding by Governor Evers’ Safer at Home Order and taking extra precautions,” said Rebecca Greisen, Health Educator.
Currently, there are 4 positive and 7 pending COVID-19 cases in Clark County. The number of people infected with COVID-19 continues to grow across Wisconsin and nationwide. The United States now has more Coronavirus cases than any other country in the world. Physical or social distancing, the practice of keeping at least 6 feet apart from others and avoiding direct physical contact, is proving to be the only effective means of slowing the rate of infection. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. Staying home when it is not essential to leave, is absolutely necessary during this time.
“The true number of infected individuals is likely not accurately reflected in the number of positive cases. We can only report numbers on those who go in to get tested and get a lab-confirmed positive test result. Individuals can be infected with COVID-19 even if they are not showing symptoms. As testing criteria becomes stricter, less positive cases will be reported, as fewer people will be tested,” said Brittany Mews, Clark County Health Department Director/Health Officer.
The CCHD continues to work with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, local healthcare providers, Clark County Emergency Management, and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
We at Central Wisconsin Broadcasting have been encouraging you to continue to support our local, small businesses if you’re able. However, we realize that can be difficult during these troubled times. And we know how difficult things can be for our small businesses. We encourage our small, locally owned businesses to head to the Small Business Development Center’s website to learn more about the resources available to you.
You can head to their website: https://wisconsinsbdc.org/services/covid-19/ You can also find a list of loans available on our website and the story is posted on our Facebook page.
Wisconsin’s methods seem to be working to combat COVID-19 as the peak time for the pandemic has shifted. According to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, Wisconsin’s peak time for COVID-19 has shifted. The website contains coronavirus projections for every state and all of the U.S. According to the website, Wisconsin will hit the peak time on April 27th. Initially, projections indicated that wouldn’t occur until May. The site goes on to say that during the peak time, Wisconsin will need 2,519 hospital beds and there are 5,364 available. It also says that 379 ICU beds will be needed, but Wisconsin only has 172 available. If the numbers remain accurate, Wisconsin will be short 207 ICU beds.
These numbers are not set in stone and could easily shift, but it shows Wisconsin’s methods are working. If residents continue to practice social distancing and practice good hygiene, it’s possible the peak could shift more. However, should Wisconsinites become lax in those practices, the peak could shift back later, prolonging the “Safer at Home” order and overwhelming our healthcare system.
Wisconsin’s chief medical officer for communicable diseases said Monday that efforts to stay at home are helping to slow the growth of cases of the coronavirus in the state. “What we’re doing is working,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard during a conference call. He said the state is seeing a slowing in the increase in cases, but the next two weeks will be critical. Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm said she doesn’t expect the state to hit a peak in cases for 10 days or more. Westergaard said lives had already been saved thanks to Gov. Tony Evers’ stay-at-home order.
“It could be a lot worse,” Westergaard said. Evers said the state is preparing field hospitals and voluntary isolation centers in anticipation of the expected surge in coming days. As of Monday, there were 20 deaths in the state due to the virus and more than 1,200 confirmed cases, according to state and local health officials.
And as a reminder, we, like all of you, are being inundated with information regarding the coronavirus outbreak. We encourage you to head to our website and Facebook page to see all the information we have available for you. We have some information right in the yellow box at the top of our homepage and you can look through our archives for information we’ve received over the past couple weeks. Also, you can scroll through our Facebook page to see all the posts.
Taking a look at the state numbers as of this afternoon, that state has 17,375 negative tests, 1,351 positive cases and 16 deaths. For our neighboring counties, Chippewa has 8, Eau Claire has 11, Jackson has 2, Wood has 2 and Marathon has 4. Even with the “Safer at Home” order and social distancing, Wisconsin’s cases continue to rise, but there are two reasons behind that. The first is that tests have become more readily available. The second is that many of the cases that are coming back positive now were tested before the governor’s orders were put into place. Wisconsin is under a “Safer at Home” order, which asks all residents to avoid unnecessary travel. You can still go to the grocery store or pharmacy, get gas, get dinner from a local business, work in the yard, walk the dog, ride a bike, etc.; just practice social distancing when you do so.
Finally, just a reminder, people need to take this seriously. Governor Evers has asked for a Presidential Disaster Declaration, but this falls on all of us. If people don’t take this seriously, things are going to get much worse. The sooner you follow the guidance of the CDC and the state, the sooner we can get Wisconsin back open for business and get things back to normal. But you must take this seriously. We must put aside petty partisan politics and work together. This is a trying time, but we will get through it with the right mindset and if we work together and help each other along during these difficult times. If there’s anything we can do at Central Wisconsin Broadcasting to help, please reach out. We have many resources available to you on our website and Facebook page and were happy to answer your questions. If we can’t, we can put you in touch with someone that can. But above all, stay calm, buy your groceries one week at a time like always and take care of yourself.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.