% TAKE CARE.
% >> AS OF THIS WEEK, THE NUMBER
% OF COVID-19 CASES IN WISCONSIN
% EXCEEDED 5,000, WITH MORE THAN
% 250 DEATHS.
% IS THE "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER
% WORKING?
% ARE WE FLATTENING THE CURVE?
% IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE
% TUNNEL?
% THOSE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS
% WE POSED TO STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST
% RYAN WESTERGAARD THIS WEEK AND,
% DOCTOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
% JOINING US.
% >> THANKS FOR INVITING ME BACK.
% >> WHAT ABOUT THOSE QUESTIONS?
% MIDWEEK WISCONSIN SAW THE
% LARGEST ONE-DAY INCREASE IN
% CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES TO
% DATE.
% WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW?
% >> YEAH.
% IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL.
% THE TWO REASONS THAT COULD BE AN
% EXPLANATION, ONE IS THAT WE'RE
% TESTING MORE PEOPLE.
% AND THE SECOND IS THAT THERE'S
% MORE TRANSMISSION IN THE
% COMMUNITY.
% AND I THINK BOTH ARE PARTLY
% TRUE.
% WE'RE UNFORTUNATELY SEEING
% ADDITIONAL OUTBREAKS OF COVID-19
% IN CONGREGATE LIVING SETTINGS
% AND SOME WORKPLACES.
% SO I THINK AT LEAST PART OF THE
% NUMBERS ARE BEING DRIVEN BY
% OUTBREAKS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
% AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE TRYING
% TO INCREASE TESTING AND GETTING
% THE WORD OUT TO PROVIDERS TO
% TEST A LARGER NUMBER OF PEOPLE,
% SO THAT MIGHT ALSO BE PLAYING A
% ROLE.
% >> SO IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO SAY
% GIVEN ALL OF THAT, BUT HOW FAR
% DO YOU THINK WE ARE FROM HITTING
% THE SO-CALLED PEAK?
% >> IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY.
% YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU'RE PAST
% IT.
% BUT WHAT OUR EPIDEMIC CURVE
% LOOKS LIKE SO FAR IS RELATIVELY
% FLAT.
% SO WE'VE HAD AN AVERAGE OF 150
% AND WE'VE HAD OVER 200 CASES
% THIS WEEK, BUT FOR THE PAST WEEK
% TO TWO WEEKS, WE'VE BEEN AT A
% PRETTY CONSISTENT NUMBER OF NEW
% CASES.
% THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT FLATTENING
% THE CURVE LOOKS LIKE.
% SO I THINK THAT'S EVIDENCE OF
% OUR SUCCESS, THAT WE'RE NOT
% SEEING A PEAK NECESSARILY, BUT
% WE'RE SEEING A PLATEAU.
% THAT'S WHAT WE SEE WHEN A
% DISEASE EPIDEMIC IS SPREAD OUT
% OVER TIME.
% SO IT COULD BE, ALTHOUGH, LIKE I
% SAID, WE DON'T KNOW AND WE'RE
% NOT OUT OF THE WOODS TO CONTINUE
% TO SEE MORE CASES, BUT WE MIGHT
% BE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WEAK AND
% IT'S JUST TAKING LONGER THAN IT
% WOULD OTHERWISE
% >> AND SO THAT WOULD SUGGEST
% THAT THE "SAFER AT HOME" ORDERS
% HAVE BEEN WORKING?
% >> I THINK GIVEN WHAT WE KNOW
% ABOUT HOW THIS VIRUS EPIDEMIC
% HAS WORKED IN A LARGE NUMBER OF
% COMMUNITIES WHERE SOCIAL
% DISTANCING WASN'T IMPLEMENTED
% EARLY, IS THAT THERE'S NO
% QUESTION THAT IT'S WORKING.
% IF WE PROJECTED THE NUMBER OF
% CASES WE HAD IN EARLY MARCH AND
% FOLLOWED THAT EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
% MODEL TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAVE
% BEEN EXPECTED IF WE CONTINUED IN
% OUR NORMAL SET OF INTERACTIONS,
% WE WOULD HAVE HAD MANY MORE
% THOUSANDS OF CASES.
% SO I THINK THE DATA ARE PRETTY
% CLEAR THAT WE'VE SAVED PROBABLY
% WELL OVER 1,000 LIVES BY DOING
% THE "SAFE AT HOME" ORDER THAT
% WE'VE DONE.
% IT'S REALLY -- IT'S REALLY
% WITHOUT QUESTION.
% >> AS YOU MENTIONED, WE CONTINUE
% TO SEE THESE HOT SPOTS POPPING
% UP, LIKE IN GREEN BAY, WHERE SO
% FAR MORE THAN 250 CASES ARE
% LINKED TO MEAT PROCESSING
% PLANTS.
% HOW CONCERNING ARE THOSE KINDS
% OF CLUSTERS?
% >> YEAH.
% IT'S TERRIBLY CONCERNING BECAUSE
% IT REINFORCES WHAT WAS LEARNED
% ABOUT THE VIRUS, THAT ABSENT
% REALLY STRICT PRECAUTIONS ON
% PHYSICAL DISTANCING OR INFECTION
% CONTROL PRECAUTIONS LIKE WE DO
% IN HOSPITALS WITH MASKS AND
% OTHER PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
% EQUIPMENT, THE VIRUS IS SO
% HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS THAT WHEN
% PEOPLE ARE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY IN
% THE WORKPLACE, A SINGLE CASE OR
% A SMALL NUMBER OF CASES CAN
% QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGH A
% COMMUNITY.
% SO IT'S VERY CONCERNING.
% AND I THINK IT CALLS FOR THE
% TYPE OF CONTAINMENT EFFORTS THAT
% WE NEED TO REALLY SCALE UP IN
% THE COMING MONTHS, BECAUSE UNTIL
% WE HAVE A VACCINE, THE RISK FOR
% THESE LOCALIZED OUTBREAKS AND
% THE POTENTIAL FOR THOSE TURNING
% INTO LARGER COMMUNITY SPREAD IS
% GOING TO BE THERE.
% SO WE HAVE TO REALLY FOCUS ON
% CONTAINING CASES AT THE
% INDIVIDUAL LEVEL BY DOING THESE
% PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGIES LIKE
% QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION.
% >> NOW, THERE'S NEW GUIDANCE
% FROM THE STATE ABOUT WHO SHOULD
% GET TESTED?
% WHO SHOULD GET TESTED NOW?
% >> IN A PERFECT WORLD, EVERYONE
% WHO HAS SYMPTOMS, SHORTNESS OF
% BREATH, COUGH, BODY ACHES LIKE
% THE FLU, SHOULD BE TESTED FOR
% COVID-19.
% EVERYONE KNOWS WE'RE NOT IN A
% PERFECT WORLD.
% THE REASON IT'S IMPERFECT IS
% THAT HEALTH SYSTEMS AROUND THE
% STATE DON'T HAVE SIMILAR ACCESS
% TO THE TESTING MATERIALS.
% A LOT OF HEALTH CARE IS BEING
% DONE REMOTELY VIA TELEHEALTH, SO
% PEOPLE ARE BEING ENCOURAGED NOT
% TO COME INTO THEIR PROVIDERS.
% SO RIGHT NOW THERE'S SORT OF A
% MODEL WE HAVE IN MIND, WHICH IS
% THAT TO REALLY GET THE BEST
% INFORMATION ABOUT THE EPIDEMIC
% WE NEED TO TEST MOST PEOPLE WITH
% SYMPTOMS AND PROBABLY A SUBSET
% OF PEOPLE WITHOUT SYMPTOMS IF
% THEY'RE CONNECTED TO AN OUTBREAK
% INVESTIGATION.
% THE REALITY IS THAT THE HEALTH
% CARE SYSTEM IS NOT RUNNING AT
% ITS NORMAL STATE RIGHT NOW
% BECAUSE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
% EQUIPMENT SHORTAGES AND CHANGES
% IN OPERATIONS TO PRESERVE THE
% HEALTH CARE WORKFORCE FOR AN
% EXPECTED SURGE.
% SO IT'S TURNING OUT THAT MOST
% HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH
% SYMPTOMS ARE BEING TESTED RIGHT
% NOW, BUT THERE'S CERTAINLY
% CAPACITY AT THE LABORATORY AND
% OUR GOAL IS TO TEST A LARGE
% NUMBER OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING MOST
% PEOPLE WITH SYMPTOMS.
% >> IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT AT
% LEAST 19 PEOPLE EITHER VOTING OR
% POLL WORKERS HAVE TESTED
% POSITIVE SINCE ELECTION DAY.
% ARE YOU ABLE TO TIE THOSE CASES
% TO IN-PERSON VOTING?
% >> WE CAN'T PROVE THAT WITHOUT
% SOME PRETTY SOPHISTICATED
% MOLECULAR TESTING THAT'S NOT
% AVAILABLE ROUTINELY.
% WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AND WHAT'S
% COMMON AMONG ALL CASES THAT GET
% REPORTED TO PUBLIC HEALTH IS
% THROUGH AN INTERVIEW PROCESS
% THERE'S A SUBSET OF PEOPLE WHO
% MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED BECAUSE
% THEY WERE IN THE COMMUNITY
% ASSOCIATED WITH VOTING.
% SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE REPORTED
% OTHER POTENTIAL EXPOSURES AS
% WELL.
% AND SO AT THIS POINT, IT'S A
% POSSIBILITY.
% WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
% POSSIBILITY FOR FUTURE ELECTIONS
% THAT WE NEED TO HAVE REALLY
% ROBUST INFECTION CONTROL
% PRECAUTIONS.
% AND SO IT'S INFORMED OUR
% THINKING.
% BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO
% PROVE IT CONCLUSIVELY THAT
% THEY'RE OBTAINED THROUGH THE
% VOTING PROCESS.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WITH JUST ABOUT A HALF A MINUTE
% LEFT, OVERALL WHAT IS YOUR BEST
% ADVICE FOR PEOPLE RIGHT NOW?
% >> I THINK THE ADVICE IS HANG IN
% THERE.
% EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THAT WE'VE
% DONE TREMENDOUS GOOD.
% MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED BY
% ALL THE SACRIFICES WE'VE MADE BY
% STAYING AT HOME AND CHANGING THE
% WAY THAT WE LIVE AND WORK.
% IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG HAUL,
% THOUGH.
% WE'RE HOPING THAT THINGS ARE
% GOING TO BE CLOSER TO NORMAL IN
% THE COMING MONTHS AS WE RAMP UP
% OUR PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
% AND GET CLOSER TO A VACCINE.
% BUT UNTIL WE HAVE A VACCINE,
% THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
% CHANGES WE NEED TO LIVE WITH TO
% PREVENT SPREAD.
% >> DR. RYAN WESTERGAARD.
% WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING
% WITH US.
% >> THANK YOU.