COVID-19 Pandemic Update for the Afternoon of April 22nd: State Cases Continue to Increase; National Guard Members and Others T
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 -- 2:05 PM
COVID-19 UpdateApril 22nd, Afternoon
We have a COVID-19 update for you this afternoon.
Taking a look at the updated state numbers, the state has 49,502 negative tests, 4,845 positive cases and 246 deaths. Of the positive cases, 1,302, or 27%, have been hospitalized. Clark County has 18 positive and 149 negative. For our neighboring counties, Chippewa has 20 positive and 771 negative, Eau Claire has 23 positive and 1,534 negative, Jackson has 12 positive and 191 negative, Wood has 2 positive and 342 negative, Marathon has 17 positive and 526 negative and Taylor still has no positive cases and 78 negative. Clark, Marathon and Jackson Counties have had one person die due to the coronavirus.
Fifteen people in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus after having voted in-person in the April 7 election or after having worked at the polls, a state health official said Wednesday. Also, five Wisconsin National Guard members who helped staff polls on election day have reported symptoms of COVID-19 but the one who was tested came back as negative, said Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said despite 15 people who were at the polls on election day testing positive, the state can’t say whether they became infected at the polls. “We have correlation, they voted and were at the polls, but we don’t have causation,” she said.
Milwaukee health officials have previously said they identified seven people who were at the polls who tested positive for COVID-19, but it was also too early to say whether they contracted the virus there. It wasn’t clear whether the 15 cases mentioned on Wednesday included the seven Milwaukee cases. Health officials had said ahead of the April 7 election they were concerned about a spike in cornavirus cases due to in-person voting. Those concerns were heightened after voters had to wait in line for hours in close proximity at polling sites in Milwaukee and Green Bay.
Again, Wisconsin’s “Safer at Home” order, 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, as we continue to mention, people need to continue to take this seriously. This falls on all of us. The methods are working. We just need to keep following the guidance of the CDC and the state so we can get Wisconsin back open for business and get things back to normal. We must put aside petty 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 we’re happy to answer your questions. If we can’t, we can put you in touch with someone that can. But above all, stay calm, take care, buy your groceries one week at a time and continue to follow health expert guidelines.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.