>> 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