Wisconsin: 4.5 million “shots in the arm”; 1 in 3 young adults getting vaccine

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – Wisconsin’s vaccinators have now administered more than 4.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and fully vaccinated 1 in 3 adults. Young adults were the latest age group to reach 33.3% getting the vaccine, according to Wednesday’s update from the state Department of Health Services (DHS). More than 1 in 2 adults age 45-54 have now received a shot, as well.

The DHS reports 43.7% of Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, whether it’s a first dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That’s 2,544,399 people.

The DHS further reports 35.3% of Wisconsin’s population is fully vaccinated. About 20% of the state’s population isn’t eligible for the vaccine -- that’s children under 16 -- though the FDA is considering whether to approve the Pfizer vaccine for kids age 12 to 15.

Vaccinations by age group:

• 16-17: 26.7% received a dose/11.1% completed
• 18-24: 33.3% received a dose/21.2% completed
• 25-34: 39.7% received a dose/28.6% completed
• 35-44: 47.7% received a dose/35.6% completed
• 45-54: 50.2% received a dose/37.4% completed
• 55-64: 61.1% received a dose/47.1% completed
• 65+: 81.1% received a dose/75.5% completed

Vaccination totals in WBAY’s viewing area are listed in a table below.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says six “what-if” scenarios all have new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths declining through the end of July. The rosiest scenario cuts COVID-19 deaths to 200 or 300 a week nationwide if vaccinations continue at their current pace and everyone who isn’t vaccinated follows appropriate precautions, including wearing a mask (it goes over the nose) and social distancing (see related story).

Tuesday, Wisconsin passed 600,000 total coronavirus cases, which as we reported is an average of almost 1,322 cases every day over 454 days. Wednesday, Wisconsin added 639 more cases and 13 more deaths. Now, Wisconsin has 600,936 confirmed cases, 1.14% of them fatal for a total 6,863 deaths.

The deaths were in 11 counties: Dodge, Milwaukee, Outagamie (2), Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Washburn, Waukesha (2) and Waupaca. County totals will be updated later in this article. After the state’s report came out, the Appleton Public Health Department reported the death of a person in their 50s in Calumet County and Sheboygan County Public Health reported the death of a person over 80. These deaths will be added to the state’s report in the coming days.

Wisconsin is averaging 626 new COVID-19 virus cases and 8 deaths per day. The rolling average dropped sharply from 11 deaths on Tuesday now that the 34 deaths added to the state’s total last Tuesday are no longer part of the 7-day average.

The 626 positive tests were 12.7% of the 5,026 results received from people being tested for the first time or testing positive for the first time. That’s below our calculated 7-day average of 14.5% of daily tests coming back positive, but looking at all tests, including people tested multiple times, the positivity rate rose from 3.3 to 3.4% on Wednesday. The positivity rate is an indicator of the virus’s spread in the community.

The state reported 73 more people were hospitalized for COVID-19 since Tuesday morning. That’s higher than the 7-day average of 60 hospitalizations per day.

Since February 5, 2020, the DHS reports 3,459,970 people in Wisconsin were tested at least once for the coronavirus. Out of these:

• 600,936 tested positive for the COVID-19 virus
• 29,600 were hospitalized (4.9%)
• 6,863 died (1.14%)
• 585,179 are considered recovered (97.4%)
• 8,628 are active cases (1.4%)

WEDNESDAY’S COUNTY VACCINATION TOTALS

State health officials are promoting the CDC’s Vaccine Finder website to make it easier to find and schedule appointments near you.

CLICK HERE for the First Alert Vaccine Team’s guide to vaccine clinics and vaccinators, including phone numbers and websites to make appointments and information on free rides to appointments.

CLICK HERE to track vaccine data in Wisconsin

HOSPITAL READINESS

New figures Wednesday from the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) show 336 patients are being treated for COVID-19 in the state’s hospitals, 10 more than the day before. Of these, 93 are in intensive care -- 5 fewer patients than the day before. While the DHS reports total daily COVID-19 hospital admissions, the WHA’s daily tally of current hospitalizations takes deaths and discharges into account.

As of Tuesday, Fox Valley hospitals were treating 17 patients, including 2 in ICU. That’s one less patient in ICU but 3 more patients overall since Tuesday.

Hospitals in the Northeast region had 25 COVID-19 patients, with 7 in ICU. That’s one more in intensive care and 2 more hospitalized overall.

For hospital readiness, the WHA reports a total 204 intensive care beds (13.9% of all ICU beds) and 1,764 of all beds (15.8%) -- ICU, intermediate care, medical surgical and negative-flow isolation -- are unoccupied in the state’s 136 hospitals.

The Fox Valley region’s 13 hospitals have 11 open ICU beds (10.6%) among them, and a total of 72 open beds (8.4%).

The Northeast region’s 10 hospitals have 23 open ICU beds (11.1%) and 203 available beds of all types (21.2%).

These beds are for all patients, not just COVID-19. While we use terms like “available” or “open,” a hospital bed can only be occupied if there’s enough staffing to care for the patient, including doctors, nurses and food services.

WEDNESDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (counties with new cases or deaths are indicated in bold) *

Wisconsin

• Adams – 1,719 cases (+6) (12 deaths)
• Ashland – 1,251 cases (cases revised -1 by state) (15 deaths)
• Barron – 5,745 cases (+5) (82 deaths)
• Bayfield - 1,138 cases (+1) (19 deaths)
• Brown – 31,476 cases (+21) (241 deaths)
• Buffalo – 1,352 cases (+1) (7 deaths)
• Burnett – 1,359 cases (+2) (22 deaths)
• Calumet – 5,758 cases (+5) (48 deaths)
• Chippewa – 7,351 cases (+12) (94 deaths)
• Clark – 3,241 cases (+1) (58 deaths)
• Columbia – 5,386 cases (+11) (57 deaths)
• Crawford – 1,710 cases (+2) (17 deaths)
• Dane – 44,404 (+45) (302 deaths)
• Dodge – 11,819 cases (+10) (164 deaths) (+1)
• Door – 2,594 cases (+2) (22 deaths)
• Douglas – 4,015 cases (+3) (34 deaths)
• Dunn – 4,633 cases (+8) (32 deaths)
• Eau Claire – 11,498 cases (+18) (107 deaths)
• Florence - 446 cases (12 deaths)
• Fond du Lac – 12,349 cases (+16) (111 deaths)
• Forest - 959 cases (+1) (23 deaths)
• Grant – 4,895 cases (+4) (85 deaths)
• Green – 3,497 cases (+7) (18 deaths)
• Green Lake - 1,570 cases (19 deaths)
• Iowa - 2,016 cases (10 deaths)
• Iron - 576 cases (21 deaths)
• Jackson - 2,624 cases (+1) (26 deaths)
• Jefferson – 8,346 cases (+8) (109 deaths)
• Juneau - 3,152 cases (+7) (22 deaths)
• Kenosha – 15,559 cases (+16) (307 deaths)
• Kewaunee – 2,343 cases (26 deaths)
• La Crosse – 12,744 cases (+13) (83 deaths)
• Lafayette - 1,556 cases (+2) (8 deaths)
• Langlade - 1,993 cases (32 deaths)
• Lincoln – 3,049 cases (64 deaths)
• Manitowoc – 7,523 cases (+5) (69 deaths)
• Marathon – 14,578 cases (+18) (187 deaths)
• Marinette - 4,136 cases (+3) (66 deaths)
• Marquette – 1,371 cases (+1) (23 deaths)
• Menominee – 799 cases (11 deaths)
• Milwaukee – 105,379 (+113) (1,300 deaths) (+1)
• Monroe – 4,524 cases (+7) (37 deaths)
• Oconto – 4,434 case (+6) (53 deaths)
• Oneida - 3,625 case (+1) (69 deaths)
• Outagamie – 20,559 cases (+14) (204 deaths) (+2)
• Ozaukee – 8,150 cases (+15) (85 deaths) (+1)
• Pepin – 850 cases (7 deaths)
• Pierce – 3,932 cases (+4) (37 deaths)
• Polk – 4,446 cases (+20) (47 deaths)
• Portage – 6,723 cases (+5) (68 deaths)
• Price – 1,226 cases (7 deaths)
• Racine – 21,598 cases (+28) (344 deaths) (+1)
• Richland - 1,303 cases (15 deaths)
• Rock – 15,909 cases (+36) (169 deaths) (+1)
• Rusk - 1,304 cases (+8) (17 deaths)
• Sauk – 5,789 cases (+9) (47 deaths)
• Sawyer - 1,666 cases (cases revised -1 by state) (25 deaths)
• Shawano – 4,684 cases (+5) (72 deaths)
• Sheboygan – 13,698 cases (+1) (141 deaths) (+1)
• St. Croix – 7,755 cases (+25) (52 deaths) (+1)
• Taylor - 1,868 cases (+1) (24 deaths)
• Trempealeau – 3,533 cases (+2) (41 deaths)
• Vernon – 1,912 cases (39 deaths)
• Vilas - 2,243 cases (+2) (39 deaths)
• Walworth – 9,423 cases (+9) (136 deaths)
• Washburn – 1,446 cases (+1) (19 deaths) (+1)
• Washington – 14,624 cases (+17) (151 deaths)
• Waukesha – 43,663 cases (+34) (525 deaths) (+2)
• Waupaca – 4,881 cases (+1) (119 deaths) (+1)
• Waushara – 2,157 cases (+3) (34 deaths)
• Winnebago – 18,089 cases (+12) (195 deaths)
• Wood – 7,013 cases (+7) (80 deaths)

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula **

• Alger - 318 cases (2 deaths)
• Baraga - 602 cases (+8) (34 deaths)
• Chippewa - 1,038 cases (cases revised -1 by state) (27 deaths)
• Delta – 3,249 cases (+6) (69 deaths)
• Dickinson - 2,363 cases (+2) (58 deaths)
• Gogebic - 1,008 cases (+1) (22 deaths)
• Houghton – 2,463 cases (+5) (32 deaths)
• Iron – 952 cases (+8) (42 deaths)
• Keweenaw – 142 cases (1 death)
• Luce – 185 cases (+1) (1 death)
• Mackinac - 402 cases (+3) (3 deaths)
• Marquette - 4,161 cases (+10) (57 deaths)
• Menominee - 1,751 cases (+2) (39 deaths)
• Ontonagon – 397 cases (20 deaths)
• Schoolcraft - 301 cases (+1) (4 deaths)

* Cases and deaths are from the daily DHS COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.

** The Michigan Department of Health does not release reports on Sundays.

CDC GUIDANCE ON GATHERINGS

The Centers for Disease Control have announced that fully vaccinated Americans can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing.

The CDC’s recommendations also say vaccinated people can come together in the same way – in a single household -- with people considered at low-risk for severe disease, such as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren.

The CDC is continuing to recommend that fully vaccinated people still wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public. The CDC also advised vaccinated people to get tested if they develop symptoms that could be related to COVID-19.

COVID-19 TRACING APP

Wisconsin’s COVID-19 tracing app, “Wisconsin Exposure Notification,” is available for iOS and Android smartphones. No download is required for iPhones. The Android app is available on Google Play. When two phones with the app (and presumably their owners) are close enough, for long enough, they’ll anonymously share a random string of numbers via Bluetooth. If someone tests positive for the coronavirus, they’ll receive a code to type into the app. If your phones “pinged” each other in the last 14 days, you’ll receive a push notification that you are at risk of exposure. The app doesn’t collect personal information or location information, so you won’t know from whom or where, but you will be told what day the exposure might have occurred so that you can quarantine for the appropriate amount of time.

SYMPTOMS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified these as possible symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

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