County reports 50th COVID death as cases spike

One more Trempealeau County resident died from COVID-19 according to local health officials as the number of new cases spiked again last week.

Last Friday, the Trempealeau County Health Department reported a county resident died from the virus, giving the county 50 total deaths since the pandemic began in spring of 2020. No further information about the person was reported. 

The death was a part of a busy week for health officials. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 181 new COVID-19 cases in Trempealeau County last week, the most for a single week in 2021. The spike came after a down week with just 75 cases reported from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6. 

The trend is similar to what the county saw last year when 239 cases were reported in the first full week of December 2020. It was then that the number of new cases began to decline as the DHS reported 67 new cases during the last week of 2020. 

The county health department reported several upcoming free COVID-19 vaccination clinics:

• Friday, Dec. 17 at Saints Peter & Paul church basement; 36100 Osseo Rd, Independence, from 2 to 6 p.m. 

• Tuesday, Dec. 21 at the Wanek Center in Arcadia, 730 Raider Dr. from 1 to 7 p.m. 

• Wednesday, Dec. 22 at Whitehall School District, 19121 Hobson St, from 3 to 7 p.m. 

On Friday, December 10, 2021, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) stated they support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation to provide a Pfizer booster dose for 16 and 17 year olds. 

The following individuals are now eligible for a COVID-19 booster dose:

• Anyone at least 16 years old who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. The Pfizer vaccine is the only booster dose available for 16 and 17 year olds at this time.

• Anyone at least 18 years old who received their second dose of the Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.

Anyone at least 18 years old who received their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago 

The sites above are open to anyone at least five years old who needs their first or second doeses of Pfizer vaccine; anyone 16 or older who needs their Pfizer booster dose; anyone 18 or older who needs their first, second or booster dose of Moderna vaccine; and anyone 18 or older who needs one dose or the booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. 

All minor individuals receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be accompanied by their parent or guardian. Other vaccine sites can be found at vaccines.gov.