SPREAD IN NEIGHBORING STATES,
BUT HAVE THEY YET BREACHED
WISCONSIN'S BORDERS IN SIMILAR
NUMBERS?
AND HOW WELL IS WISCONSIN DOING
IN ITS CAMPAIGN TO VACCINATE
EVERYONE 16 AND OLDER?
FOR THE LATEST ON THE CONDITION
OF COVID-19 IN THE STATE, WE
TURN TO OUR OWN "HERE AND NOW"
REPORTER WILL CUSHMAN.
AND, WILL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE TODAY.
>> THANKS, MARISA.
>> SO CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERALL
UPDATE ON WHERE THE STATE IS
WITH COVID CASES,
HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS?
>> SURE.
SO CURRENTLY THE SEVEN-DAY AFTER
FOR NEW DAILY CASES <!0>
HOVERING BETWEEN 6030 600 AND 650.
THAT'S 25% LOWER THAN IT WAS A
COUPLE WEEKS AGO BUT NEARLY
TWICE AS HIGH AS IT WAS IN
MARCH.
AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S STILL A
LOT LOWER THAN THE SURGE IN
NOVEMBER WHEN THE SEVEN-DAY
AVERAGE TOPPED 6,500.
THE SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE FOR DEATHS
IS CREEPING UP THIS WEEK.
IT'S AT ABOUT A DOZEN.
LAST WEEK IT WAS HOVERING AROUND
FOUR OR FIVE.
THE SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE FOR NEW
HOSPITALIZATIONS IS 60, HOVERING
THERE FOR A WEEK OR TWO.
>> AND WHERE DO VACCINATION
RATES TOTAL CURRENTLY STAND?
>> SURE.
CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW ABOUT 43% OF
WISCONSINITES HAVE RECEIVED AT
LEAST ONE DOSE OF A COVID-19
VACCINE.
SO THAT'S ABOUT 2.5 MILLION
WISCONSINITES.
NOW WITHIN THE LAST DAY OR SO,
FULLY OVER ONE-THIRD OF
WISCONSINITES ARE FULLY -- OR AT
LEAST HAVE COMPLETED THEIR
VACCINE SERIES.
SO THAT'S NEARLY TWO MILLION
WISCONSINWISCONSINITES.
>> WHY DO VACCINATION RATES LOOK
DIFFERENT ACROSS WISCONSIN?
>> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION, AND THE VACCINATION
RATES ARE REALLY KIND OF
STARTING TO DIVERGE AT THE
COUNTY LEVEL.
DANE COUNTY IS NOW LEADING THE
WAY, WITH NEARLY 60% OF
RESIDENTS RECEIVING AT LEAST ONE
DOSE.
A COUPLE OTHER COUNTIES ARE
CLOSE BEHIND.
THOSE ARE SOME KIND OF SMALLER
COUNTIES WITH A LOT OF RETIREES.
THAT WOULD BE DOOR COUNTY AND
BAYFIELD COUNTY.
AND THEN THERE'S A LARGE SWATH
OF THE STATE THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE
TO THE STATE AVERAGE, AROUND
40%.
BUT THEN THERE'S A GROUP OF
COUNTING OUTSIDE OF EAU CLAIRE
WHERE VACCINATION RATES ARE
LAGGING.
THAT INCLUDES TAYLOR COUNTY AND
CLARK COUNTY, WHERE NOT EVEN A
QUARTER OF RESIDENTS HAVE
RECEIVED ONE DOSE.
SO THERE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF
REASONS WHY VACCINATION RATES R
VARYING, BUT ANY MORE -- OR
EARLIER IN THE VATION VACCINATION
CAMPAIGN IT HAD TO DO WITH WHO
WAS ELIGIBLE AND WHETHER A
COUNTY HAS A LOT OF OLDER
RESIDENTS OR HEALTH CARE WORKERS
MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
NOW IT HAS A LOT MORE TO DO WITH
WHO WANTS TO GET A COVID-19
VACCINE NOW THAT WE'RE NEARLY A
MONTH INTO UNIVERSAL ELIGIBILITY
FOR ADULTS.
SO WE'RE SEEING PARTS OF THE
STATE WHERE PEOPLE ARE CLAMORING
FOR VACCINE, INCLUDING DANE
COUNTY AND OTHER SUBURBAN AREAS,
LA CROSSE COUNTY, EAU CLAIRE
COUNTY.
AND THEN SOME PREDOMINANTLY
RURAL PARTS OF THE STATE PEOPLE
ARE NOT CLAMORING FOR VACCINES
QUITE AS MUCH.
THOSE PATTERNS KIND OF REFLECT
THE ANNUAL FLU VACCINES AROUND
THE STATE.
THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WHY
PEOPLE ARE KIND OF HESITANT TO
GET A VACCINE.
THERE HAS BEEN NATIONWIDE
ANALYSIS BY THE NEW YORK TIMES,
SHOWED THAT COUNTY THAT WENT FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HAVE A LOT
OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS ARE KIND OF
LAGGING IN VACCINATION RATES.
SIMILAR, ANALYSIS BY MILWAUKEE
JOURNAL SENTINEL FOUND SOMETHING
SIMILAR IN WISCONSIN.
>> WILL CUSHMAN, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WILL'S REPORTS CAN BE FOUND