County COVID activity slows down again

After a brief spike, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Trempealeau County dropped below 20 again last week with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reporting 15 new cases in the county.

Last week’s total was five fewer than two weeks ago, as the county had 54 cases over a two-week span. That spike came after the county had fewer than 20 cases for five straight weeks.

Whitehall was the only area in the county that had more than two cases, as the higher case totals continued in that area with six more cases last week. Whitehall has had 26 new cases over the past three weeks.

While fewer vaccinations were administered last week than two weeks ago, it was still the third straight week in which more than 1,900 county residents received a vaccine. The 1,968 vaccines administered last week were 123 fewer than two weeks ago.

More than 12,000 county residents — 41.3 percent — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including 91.8 percent of county residents who are at least 65 years old. Nearly 8,600 — 28.9 percent — have completed the vaccination series.

Every adult resident in the state who is at least 16 years old is eligible for a vaccine, though the Trempealeau County Health Department admitted they are still prioritizing people based on their risk as determined by the DHS.