CHIPPEWA FALLS — Chippewa County Public Health Director noted that while her county is still listed at a moderate COVID-19 risk level, all but one of the surrounding counties are now at a high risk level.
“The risk level is going up all around us,” Weideman said. “And it’s just a matter of time before we are in a high-risk level.”
Weideman said if Chippewa County returns to a high risk level, she would recommend people return to wearing masks whenever they are indoors.
“My biggest concern is so many people feel like COVID is over, and it’s not over,” she said. “So, people should take those precautions and limit going to crowded, indoor places.”
The seven-day average of new cases in the state rose from 1,379 daily on July 1 to 1,755 cases daily on Aug. 1, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. While cases are on the rise in the state and region, Weideman said hospitalizations are still much lower than their peak in January and February.
Last week, five Chippewa County residents were hospitalized.
Weideman said she is “definitely concerned” about the rising level of cases.
“School is about to start, and we’re going into fall,” she said. “That is when cases have risen in the past, and I would expect that again.”
Across 12 counties in western Wisconsin, eight new COVID-19 deaths were reported in July: two in Chippewa County and one each in Barron, Clark, Eau Claire, Pierce, Rusk and Trempealeau counties. However, St. Croix county’s death total fell by two; periodically during the pandemic, a death has been initially classified in the wrong county and later corrected. So, the region had a net increase of six new COVID-19 deaths for July.
The net of six new virus-related deaths in the region is down from eight in June, 11 recorded in May and 10 deaths in April. The past four months has been a sharp drop from the winter months, when the 12-county region reported 115 deaths in December, 75 in January, 58 in February and 34 in March.
There were 472 deaths in those 12 counties in 2021, an increase from 409 deaths in 2020.
The 12-county area has now totaled 1,083 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Wisconsin reported 88 total COVID-19 deaths in July, which is down from 131 in June and the 126 deaths reported in May. The state’s COVID-19 death total is now 13,229. The state passed the 13,000 mark at the end of May, and passed the 10,000 total death mark Dec. 29.
The Department of Health Services announced Monday that the state has now given out 10 million COVID-19 vaccinations.
The state’s overall vaccination rate sits at 64.6% of all residents having at least one dose, which is statistically identical to where it was on July 1.
In comparison, 83.5% of Americans, age 5 or older, have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, up from 83.2% on July 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, recommended that anyone who hasn’t received a shot in 2022, even those who have taken a booster in 2021, should get another dose. Weideman said she agreed with his recommendation.
The Chippewa County Public Health Department will have its next free COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Wednesday, Aug. 10. To sign up, visit the Chippewa County website at: co.chippewa.wi.us
