by Kevin Zimmermann
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) – As the coronavirus takes a steady, progressive pace in Sheboygan County, state metrics intended to trigger successive stages of the “Badger Bounce Back” program are struggling, even failing, to head in the right direction.
As of Saturday’s update from the State Department of Health Services, the 14-day trajectories of influenza-like illnesses, COVID-like syndromic cases and percent of positive returns on daily tests have all been going in the wrong direction, as has the trend of health care workers contracting the disease as they battle to contain the pandemic. The only metrics satisfying state standards now are that 95% of hospitals affirm that they can treat all patients without crisis standards of care, and that they have arranged for testing for all symptomatic clinical staff treating patients per CDC guidelines.
In the last 24 hours, over 7100 persons were tested in Wisconsin. 481, or 6.8%, tested positive for the coronavirus, an increase since Friday. 11 more persons have died of COVID-19, raising the state toll to 507.
In Sheboygan County, 2 persons among the 50 tested since Friday were confirmed as having the disease. None of the 15 cases currently active in the county are hospitalized, and 68 of the total 86 cases confirmed so far have recovered.
Even as many elements of society strive to return to some degree of normalcy, the County Division of Pubic Health reminds Sheboygan County that the pandemic is ongoing and nowhere near receding. To that end, the wearing of cloth face masks is encouraged whenever going into the public, such as to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities. The only persons who should not wear face coverings are young children under the age of 2, or those who have trouble breathing, are unconscious, or otherwise unable to remove their mask without assistance. The mask is ultimately meant to protect others from the wearer who could be infected and unknowingly spreading the virus. Even when a multi-layer cloth mask is employed, 6-foot distancing is required to minimize possible transmission of the virus from one person to the next, and careful hand washing is still required.
