Wisconsin’s top disease expert says it’s “possible” that because COVID-19 infections came later to rural areas like the Northwoods than to large cities, the pandemic will hang on longer there.
At the same time he said that’s “not necessarily” the case, given special circumstances in areas like the Northwoods.
As of Wednesday, Milwaukee County has almost 1,800 confirmed coronavirus cases. More than 100 people have died there.
Meanwhile, several local counties, including Forest, Langlade, and Lincoln, have yet to report even one positive case.
Health experts say it’s just a matter of time until the virus is detected in these areas.
But Dr. Ryan Westergaard of the state’s Bureau of Communicable Diseases said rural areas have some advantages.
“It might come to places that are less densely-populated later. But I would say that the thing that we have going in our favor is that a smaller population also gives us more opportunities to contain and prevent onward spread,” Westergaard said. “When we’re talking with single-digit numbers of cases, it really gives us an opportunity to do the contact interviews and get around local outbreaks and shut them down.”
Even so, Westergaard acknowledged it was “possible” that since the virus showed up later in some rural areas, it would stay later.
Just five of the state’s 72 counties have no reported COVID-19 cases.
All five are in northern Wisconsin.
