Local Covid-19

Local and Tribal public health departments in the Northwoods are urging people to follow COVID-19 health guidelines. 14 health departments signed the message including, Oneida, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Vilas, Iron, and Price County Health Officers.

It calls for people to keep wearing masks, physically distance, wash your hands, avoid large gatherings, and get vaccinated.

Michigan is hanging tight to its position as a national hotspot for COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations at a time when more than half the U.S. adult population has been vaccinated and other states have seen the virus diminish substantially.

Medical professionals point to more contagious variants, the state's pullback on restrictions to limit crowds and COVID fatigue as reasons for the surge, especially in rural, northern parts of the state that had largely avoided severe outbreaks.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, questioned the need for widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, saying in a radio interview “what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?” Johnson, who has no medical expertise or background, made the comments Thursday during an interview with conservative talk radio host Vicki McKenna. Contrary to what medical experts advise, Johnson has said he doesn’t need to be vaccinated because he had COVID-19 in the fall. He went further on Thursday, questioning why anyone would get vaccinated or worry about why others have not.

Wisconsin seems to be in a bit of a holding pattern when it comes to COVID-19 cases and vaccinations.

The 7-day average of new cases has dropped a bit from a slight peak last week.

We’re now averaging 641 cases a day.

Wisconsin hasn’t experienced the jump in cases like Michigan saw with the variant cases increasing.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard says we’re by no means out of the woods yet.

Gov. Tony Evers says Wisconsin schools will receive more than $175 million in federal funding to pay for school-based COVID-19 testing for teachers, students and staff.

The money announced Tuesday is coming to Wisconsin as part of $10 billion the U.S. Department of Health Services announced in March it was targeting to help schools reopen across the country.

The tests would be voluntary.

Concerns about new coronavirus variants more easily infecting people under age 16, who are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, have increased as case counts have gone up.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has extended workplace coronavirus restrictions for an additional six months.

That includes a requirement that Michigan employers prohibit office work to the extent that employees’ jobs can feasibly be done remotely.

The emergency rules could be modified or withdrawn before they expire in mid-October.

An advisory group assessing a phased return to offices may make recommendations to the governor as soon as next week.

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Michigan should “close things down” to help address surging coronavirus infections.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky's statement Monday comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer instead urges people to voluntarily restrict certain activities.

Whitmer wants the federal government to send additional doses to the state, but the administration of President Joe Biden has stuck with allocating proportionally by population.

Walensky says shutting things down would help flatten the curve.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to keep pushing the White House for more COVID-19 vaccines as the state experiences a spike in cases.

The Democrat on Sunday told CBS’ “Face The Nation” that she plans to work with the White House but wants to do everything she can to get additional vaccine doses.

President Joe Biden has said Washington will give Michigan more federal resources to support vaccinations and testing, but not additional vaccines.

The state has the highest rate of new coronavirus infections in the U.S.

Wisconsin health officials report nearly a quarter of the state’s population has completed COVID-19 vaccination.

Over 1.4 million people — making up 24.3% of the state’s population — have been completely vaccinated by either receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

However, daily case counts have also been on the rise.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 34%, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Wisconsin celebrated significant vaccine milestones this week.

Vaccinators have administered over 3 million COVID-19 shots in the state.

That means over a third of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine and 20 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

But even as more people get vaccinated, cases of COVID-19 are rising across the state.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said that’s largely because of COVID variants.