As COVID-19 continues to spread, Northwoods counties are moving from areas of low transmission to areas of substantial and high transmission.
According to data from the CDC, Iron County, WI currently has a high rate of transmission, while Vilas, Lincoln and Forest counties all have substantial rates of transmission.
That ranking means the CDC recommends people in those counties wear masks in indoor, public spaces, regardless of whether they’re vaccinated.
Gogebic, Langlade, Oneida and Price counties have moderate rates of transmission, so the mask recommendation does not apply in these areas for anyone who’s fully vaccinated.
However, local health departments are still noting the effects of COVID-19 in these counties.
On Friday, Oneida County reported a new death associated with the virus.
In Lincoln County, 18 new people tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
To stop the spread of COVID – especially the highly contagious Delta variant – every local health department is encouraging residents to get vaccinated.
They say the vaccine is the best defense against the Delta variant.
And local statistics back up their argument.
Since the beginning of May, Price County has reported 25 new COVID-19 cases.
Of the cases, four people were hospitalized and one person died.
None were vaccinated.