>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> AS DEBATE RAGES ON HOW AND
% WHEN TO REOPEN WISCONSIN, THE
% STATE IS NEARING 10,000 CASES
% AND 400 COVID-19 DEATHS.
% ANDREA PALM OVERSEES WISCONSIN'S
% HEALTH CARE RESPONSE TO THE
% PANDEMIC.
% SECRETARY-DESIGNEE PALM, THANK
% YOU FOR JOINING US ON THIS.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.
% >> SO YOUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT
% RELEASED ITS GATING CRITERIA IN
% THE FORM OF A DASHBOARD THIS
% WEEK TO SHOW PROGRESS ON AREAS
% NEEDED, ACCORDING TO THE
% ADMINISTRATION, TO RESTART THE
% STATE.
% ACCORDING TO THAT DASHBOARD, OF
% SIX MEASURES, WE'RE GOOD TO GO
% ON JUST ONE, THE DOWNWARD
% TRAJECTORY OF FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS.
% WHERE WE STILL HAVE NOT MET THIS
% CRITERIA TO OPEN, IT INCLUDES A
% 14-DAY DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY IN
% POSITIVE CASES AND PEOPLE
% REPORTING SYSTEMS OF COVID-19.
% WHERE DO WE STAND ON THAT AT
% WEEK'S END?
% >> SO AS WE HAVE EXPANDED
% TESTING PRETTY DRAMATICALLY,
% BOTH OUR -- AND WORKING ON THE
% NUMBER OF TESTS ON A DAILY
% BASIS, WE CERTAINLY ARE SEEING
% THIS LEVEL OFF IN A WAY THAT I
% THINK GIVES US SOME HOPE THAT WE
% ARE CERTAINLY MOVING IN THE
% RIGHT DIRECTION.
% OUR PERCENTAGE YESTERDAY WAS
% 5.7%, WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY
% LOWER THAN ABOUT THE 10% WE'VE
% BEEN SEEING AS SORT OF A FLAT
% LINE.
% AND SO WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT AS WE
% RAMP UP TESTING AND START TO
% REALLY UNDERSTAND THE OUTBREAK
% HERE IN WISCONSIN, THAT WE WILL
% SEE THE NUMBERS GOING IN THE
% RIGHT DIRECTION.
% BUT IT ALSO SPEAKS TO OUR NEED
% TO CONTINUE TO STAY SAFER AT
% HOME.
% >> SO ON THAT 14-DAY DOWNWARD
% TRAJECTORY, WE HAVE BEEN ON A
% DAY-BY-DAY DOWNWARD TRAJECTORY
% AND WHAT ARE WE AT NOW, ABOUT
% FIVE OR SIX DAYS ON THAT?
% >> YEAH.
% YEAH.
% IT'S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND
% SEVEN, YEAH, THAT WE'RE SEEING
% SOME DOWNWARD MOVEMENT.
% SO THAT'S GOOD.
% >> SO YOU SPOKE TO RAMPING UP
% TESTING, AND I KNOW THE CAPACITY
% RIGHT NOW IS TO TEST ABOUT
% 15,000 PEOPLE A DAY.
% WHERE ARE WE ON ACTUAL NUMBER OF
% TESTS THAT ARE BEING DONE?
% >> SO WE HIT A HIGH NUMBER
% YESTERDAY, OUR HIGHEST EVER, AT
% OVER 5500 TESTS, AND SO THAT IS
% -- THAT SPEAKS TO OUR
% PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL
% GUARD, WHO HAVE REALLY HELPED
% DRIVE A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY
% TESTING SITES AROUND THE STATE
% TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
% PREVALENCE, BUT UP THOSE NUMBERS
% SO THAT WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO
% REACH OUR GOALS OF TESTING FOR
% THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND WE'LL
% CONTINUE TO DO THAT IN THE
% COMING WEEKS.
% >> IS IT STILL THE CASE THAT
% POTENTIALLY HEALTH CARE
% PROVIDERS ARE NOT ENCOURAGING
% PEOPLE UNDER, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY
% RECENT GUIDANCES TO GO AHEAD AND
% GET A TEST?
% >> SO I THINK WE'RE WORKING
% HARD.
% WE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO,
% IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS, STAY HOME,
% RIGHT?
% THAT WAS OUR MESSAGE.
% AND SO THIS IS A MAJOR SHIFT, TO
% ENCOURAGING PEOPLE, EVEN WITH
% THE MILDEST OF SYMPTOMS, TO GO
% AND GET TESTED.
% AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOME OF
% WHY YOU'RE SEEING THIS LAG IN
% THE NUMBER OF TESTS WE'RE DOING
% ON A DAILY BASIS.
% BUT OPENING UP ACCESS, BEING
% CLEAR THAT THE GUIDANCE IS
% LOOSENED, MAKING THESE
% DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING SITES
% AVAILABLE, AGAIN, FOR EASY
% ACCESS FOR PEOPLE.
% WE REALLY DO HOPE TO SEE A
% RAMPING UP OF THE NUMBER OF
% TESTS WE'RE DOING EVERY DAY.
% >> IS IT ACCURATE THAT YOU ARE
% NOW TESTING EVERYONE IN
% LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES?
% >> SO PART OF OUR STRATEGY OF
% THIS COMMUNITY TESTING, OUTBREAK
% TESTING AND LONG-TERM CARE
% TESTING ARE CRITICAL PIECES OF,
% AGAIN, HELPING US UNDERSTAND THE
% EPIDEMIC HERE.
% ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED
% ABOUT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IS
% THE VULNERABILITY OF PEOPLE WHO
% LIVE IN LONG-TERM CARE.
% THEY'RE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO
% SEVERE DISEASE AND DEATH AND
% SPREAD CAN HAPPEN QUICKLY.
% SO OUR DESIRE TO TEST EVERYONE
% IN FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE
% WILL HELP US FIND CASES THAT
% WERE PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTED SO WE
% CAN WRAP QUICKLY AND HELP
% PROTECT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE
% THERE.
% >> IF WE ARE DOING THOSE KIND OF
% TESTS IN LONG-TERM CARE
% FACILITIES, WHAT ARE THE RESULTS
% YOU ARE SEEING?
% >> WE HAVE BEGUN TO HAVE
% CONVERSATIONS WITH LONG-TERM
% CARE, ABOUT 50 OR 60 SO FAR, AND
% ARE CONTINUING TO WORK THROUGH
% THE PROGRESSION OF OUR TEAMS
% GOING OUT AND DOING THAT
% TESTING.
% WE HAVE ON AN OUTBREAK BASIS
% DONE SOME TESTING IN LONG-TERM
% CARE AND HAVE MADE THAT
% INFORMATION PUBLIC ON OUR
% WEBSITE.
% AND SO IF THERE'S ONE CASE,
% EITHER STAFF OR RESIDENT IN
% LONG-TERM CARE, WE WANT -- WE
% PREVIOUSLY HAD WANTED TO BE
% THERE AND DO TESTING AND HELP
% WITH THAT TESTING.
% AND SO FAR WE HAVE HAD GOOD
% PARTNERSHIPS AND BEEN ABLE TO DO
% THE WORK NECESSARY IN THOSE
% LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, BUT
% WE WANT TO DO THAT MORE BROADLY
% AND MORE STRATEGICALLY MOVING
% FORWARD.
% >> WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATUS OF
% OUTBREAKS AT MEAT-PACKING PLANTS
% AND LATEST NUMBERS CONNECTED TO
% THOSE OUTBREAKS?
% >> SO ONE OF THE TRANSPARENCY WE
% HAVE TRIED TO ADD TO THE WEBSITE
% ARE WHERE ARE THE OUTBREAKS,
% WHAT KINDS OF PLACES ARE THEY
% AND THEN TO BE HELPING WITH THE
% TESTING AND CONTACT TRACING
% AROUND THOSE.
% AND SO OF THE ABOUT 235 RIGHT
% NOW, SOME ARE IN LONG-TERM CARE,
% SOME ARE IN BUSINESSES.
% MEAT-PACKING IS ONE, BUT THERE
% ARE OTHER TYPES OF BUSINESSES
% THAT ARE HAVING OUTBREAKS.
% YOU CAN SEE WHERE THOSE ARE AND
% WHAT TIMES OF PLACES WE'RE
% SEEING THOSE OUTBREAKS AND WE
% THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT
% INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO
% THOSE WHO HAVE SAID THAT YOU DID
% NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO EXTEND
% THE "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER AND
% SOME WHO EVEN WANT YOU FIRED
% OVER IT?
% >> THROUGHOUT THIS PANDEMIC, WE
% HAVE DONE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
% HEALTH SERVICES AND WITH OUR
% PARTNERS ACROSS THE STATEWIDE
% RESPONSE, DONE WHAT WE FELT WAS
% NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE
% OF WISCONSIN, TO PROTECT OUR
% HEALTH AND SAFETY.
% AND WE'VE SEEN THE "SAFER AT
% HOME" IS WORKING.
% WE ARE FLATTENING THE CURVE.
% WE HAVE SAVED LIVES.
% AND WE ARE TAKING THE TIME THAT
% WAS GIVEN TO US THROUGH "SAFER
% AT HOME" TO BUILD UP OUR TESTING
% CAPACITY, OUR CONTACT TRACING
% CAPACITY AND OUR PARTNERSHIPS
% WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO HELP
% FIGHT THIS VIRUS ON THE GROUND
% MOVING FORWARD.
% AND SO I THINK WE FEEL VERY,
% VERY GOOD ABOUT THE FACT THAT
% THE STRATEGIES WE HAVE DEPLOYED
% HAVE HELPED US DO THE THINGS WE
% NEED TO DO HERE IN WISCONSIN TO
% PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE.
% >> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
% SECRETARY-DESIGNEE PALM, THANKS
% VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> NEXT TUESDAY, VOTERS IN 26