County case total remains low
COVID-19 appears to be mostly under control in Trempealeau County for the moment as there were fewer than 20 new cases for the second straight week and the month of February has the fewest number of cases since last May.
The 19 new cases last week, there was a total of 96 new cases in February, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, a big drop from 309 in January and the lowest since there were 44 cases in May.
While there were three more positive tests last week than there were two weeks ago, the percentage in which people tested positive dropped by one whole percentage point to 11.3 percent, as there were 38 more tests issued.
Of the new cases, six were people who live in the Trempealeau area, five in Whitehall. Strum had three, Independence had two and both Arcadia and Blair had one.
The lower case totals have coincided with the release of COVID-19 vaccines. The DHS announced more groups who are eligible to receive the vaccine on Monday of this week.
Eligible groups now include:
• Frontline health care personnel
• Residents of long-term care
• Police and fire personnel, correctional staff
• Adults age 65 and older
• Education and child care staff
• Individuals enrolled in Medicaid long-term care programs
• Some public-facing essential workers such as 911 operators, public transit and grocery store employees
• Non-frontline essential health care personnel
• Facility staff and residents of congregate living settings
Last week, the Trempealeau County Health Department offered a clarification on some specific groups:
• Direct care personnel: This group is currently eligible and includes people who provide direct care to patients, including in their homes (for example, personal care assistant; home health worker; adult day service providers; paid and unpaid caregivers in Family Care, Family Care Partnership, and IRIS; paid and unpaid caregivers of children in special needs programs, including Children’s Waivers, CCOP, B3, Children with Medical Complexity, CCF WAM and Katie Beckett Medicaid)
• Clergy: All clergy are considered spiritual providers and are eligible under “frontline healthcare personnel” group.
• Foster parents: All foster parents are eligible under the “education and regulated child care” group.
• Food supply chain: At this time, restaurant employees are not eligible in this group.
The health department also announced a partnership with Mayo Clinic in Arcadia to provide the COVID-19 vaccine. They previously announced a partnership with Gundersen Tri-County Hospital and Clinics in Whitehall.
When vaccine and appointments become available, residents will be contacted by someone at the Trempealeau County Health Department, Gundersen Tri-County, or Mayo Clinic in Arcadia.
Due to statewide vaccine shortages, they are unable to vaccinate people as quickly as desired. The health department has asked that everyone has patience while they work on scheduling when vaccine and appointments become available.
The health department also advised that there have been reports of COVID-19 vaccine scams in Wisconsin. We will not ask about your social security number, bank account, or credit card number. That is a scam and you should not provide that information.
As of Monday the DHS reported that roughly 20 percent of Trempealeau County residents — 5,883 — had received at least the first dose of the vaccine. Of those, 2,672 have received the full series.
