COULD GO WITHOUT A MASK, THE CDC
THIS WEEK RECOMMENDED THAT
PEOPLE SHOULD WEAR THEM ONCE
AGAIN INDOORS, WHERE COVID-19
CASES HAVE SPIKED TO SUBSTANTIAL
OR HIGH LEVELS.
THAT INCLUDES 35 COUNTIES SO FAR
IN WISCONSIN SHOWN ON THIS MAP
IN YELLOW AND RED.
DANE COUNTY AND THE CITY OF
MILWAUKEE THIS WEEK RECOMMENDED
EVERYONE WEAR A MASK INSIDE
REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION
STATUS.
TO GET THE STATEWIDE PICTURE, WE
TURN TO DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES, JULIE WILLEMS VAN
DIJK, AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> SO IS THE WISCONSIN
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOLLOWING
THE CDC GUIDANCE AND RECOMMEND
PEOPLE WEAR MASKS INDOORS AT
THIS TIME?
>> YES.
WE ARE AGAIN VERY CONSISTENT
WITH CDC.
WE'VE SEEN AN INCREDIBLE RISE IN
CASES DUE TO THE DELTA VARIANT.
AND THERE'S ALSO EARLY EMERGING
EVIDENCE THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN VACCINATED THAT ARE
INFECTED WITH DELTA, BECAUSE
SOME WILL BE, MAY BE ABLE TO
TRANSMIT THE VIRUS.
AND PREVIOUSLY WE DIDN'T THINK
THAT WAS TRUE.
AND THAT'S THE REAL RATIONALE
BEHIND THIS RECOMMENDATION FOR
MASKS WHERE THERE'S HIGH
TRANSMISSION WHEN WE'RE IN
INDOOR SETTINGS TOGETHER.
>> AND SO, AGAIN, WHO SHOULD
WEAR THEM?
EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF
VACCINATION STATUS?
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE.
WHEN YOU ARE IN A COMMUNITY WITH
HIGHER SUBSTANTIAL TRANSMISSION,
AND EVEN IF YOU WANT TO BE EXTRA
SAFE IN COMMUNITIES WITH
MODERATE TRANSMISSION.
WE HAVE NOWHERE IN WISCONSIN
WITH LOW TRANSMISSION RIGHT NOW.
WE RECOMMEND THAT EVERYBODY,
WHETHER YOU'RE VACCINATED OR
NOT, WHEN YOU ARE INSIDE WITH
PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF YOUR
HOUSEHOLD, WEAR A MASK.
>> AND WHAT IS YOUR
RECOMMENDATION AROUND K-12
SCHOOLS WHEN SCHOOL STARTS?
>> SO CDC AND DHS ARE ALSO
RECOMMENDING THAT ALL TEACHERS,
STAFF, VISITORS AND STUDENTS IN
K-12 SCHOOLS WEAR MASKS, AGAIN,
WHEN THEY'RE INSIDE.
WHEN WE'RE OUTSIDE, WE KNOW
THERE ISN'T VERY HIGH DISEASE
TRANSMISSION.
THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN
SCHOOLS BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A
MIX OF VACCINATED AND
UNVACCINATED PEOPLE.
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12
CANNOT GE YET GET VACCINATED, SO
IT'S AN IMPORTANT LAYER OF
PROTECTION SO THAT OUR CHILDREN
CAN GO BACK TO SCHOOL SAFELY
THIS FALL.
>> SOME PEOPLE CONTINUE TO
QUESTION THIS, INCLUDING OUR OWN
SENATOR RON JOHNSON WHO ASKED
PUBLICLY THIS WEEK, DO MASKS
EVEN WORK?
DO THEY DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD,
PARTICULARLY TO CHILDREN WHO
HAVE A LOW RISK OF SERIOUS
DISEASE OR DEATH FROM COVID?
SO DO THEY WORK?
DO THEY CAUSE MORE HARM THAN
GOOD?
>> THEY ABSOLUTELY WORK.
THE SCIENCE SHOWS THAT THIS
SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES
TRANSMISSION OF RESPIRATORY
VIRUS AND THE DROPLETS THAT
CARRY THE VIRUS.
AND THEY WORK ESPECIALLY WELL
WHEN EVERYBODY IS WEARING THEM.
SO, AS WE'VE SAID BEFORE, MY
MASK PROTECTS YOU, YOUR MASK
PROTECTS ME.
THE OTHER THING THAT I'VE HEARD
FROM MANY, MANY PARENTS AND I'VE
OBSERVED IN CHILDREN IN MY OWN
FAMILY IS CHILDREN DON'T HAVE
NEARLY AS BIG A PROBLEM WITH
WEARING A MASK AS WE DO.
AS LONG AS THEY GET TO PICK
WHICH CHARACTER OR WHICH PRINT
IS ON THEIR MASK, THEY ACTUALLY
SEEM TO DO QUITE FINE WITH
WEARING MASKS.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT
THIS DELTA VARIANT AND OUR JUMP
IN CASES AND HOW THAT MIGHT
PROGRESS?
>> DELTA VARIANT IS VERY
CONCERNING.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY INFECTIOUS
VARIANT OF COVID-19.
AND LET'S BE CLEAR.
THE GARDEN VARIETY OF COVID-19
WAS INFECTIOUS ENOUGH.
CDC IS SAYING TODAY THAT AS
INFECTIOUS AS CHICKEN POX.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO REMEMBER,
YOU KNOW IF ONE KID IN YOUR
FAMILY GOT IT, OF COU EVERYBODY.
THAT'S HOW INFECTIOUS DELTA
VARIANT IS.
THE OTHER THING THAT'S VERY
CONCERNING ABOUT THIS VARIANT IS
IT MUTATED FROM OTHER VARIANTS.
AND SO IF WE DO NOT GET A HANDLE
ON THIS THROUGH HIGHER
VACCINATION, WHICH IS OUR MOST
IMPORTANT STRATEGY RIGHT NOW,
WHAT WILL THE NEXT VARIANT LOOK
LIKE AND COULD IT BE EVEN WORSE
THAN THIS ONE.
>> HOW ARE WE DOING ON THE
VACCINE FRONT?
>> SO AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE
ALMOST 52% OF OUR TOTAL
POPULATION OF OUR STATE HAS
RECEIVED THEIR FIRST DOSE AND
ALMOST -- WELL, 49.3% HAVE
COMPLETED THEIR VACCINE SERIES.
AND WE ALL KNOW WE HAVE STALLED
OUT.
WE WERE SEEING THOSE PERCENTAGE
POINTS JUMP BY A PERCENTAGE OR
TWO A DAY IN MARCH AND APRIL,
WHEN PEOPLE WERE CLAMORING FOR
VACCINE.
THEY'RE CREEPING UP NOW.
BUT WE HAVE SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF
A BUMP SINCE THIS NEWS OF DELTA
VARIANT CAME OUT AND I THINK
SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN
WAITING AND WONDERING ARE
VOLUNTEERING AND GETTING VACCINE
NOW.
AND WE REALLY NEED TO MOVE THAT
52% UP TO 70% OR 80% IN ORDER TO
GET A TRUE COMMUNITY IMMUNITY TO
STOP THE SPREAD OF THIS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE WILL WATCH THAT.