ELECTION CLAIMS.
ON THE COVID FRONT, IT'S LIKE A
CASE OF WHIPLASH.
WISCONSIN'S 7-DAY AVERAGE CASE
NUMBER HAS HIT THE LOWEST POINT
THIS YEAR AND IS ON THE WAY
DOWN.
THAT AFTER OMICRON SENT CASE
NUMBERS SKY HIGH JUST WEEKS AGO.
AS OF TODAY, THE 7-DAY AVERAGE
OF NEW CASES IN WISCONSIN IS
BELOW 2500.
COMPARED TO NEARLY 19,000 NEW
DAILY CASES AT THE PEAK OF THE
OMICRON SURGE.
GREAT NEWS BUT A LITTLE
CONFUSING TOO.
IS IT OVER?
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
WE TURN TO CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
AND STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST FOR
COMMUNITY HEALTH AT THE
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES, DR. JASMINE ZAPATA.
DOCTOR, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO CASE NUMBERS SEEM TO BE
DECLINING ALMOST AS FAST AS THEY
SURGED, BUT STILL MORE THAN 50
COUNTIES REMAIN IN THE
CRITICALLY HIGH CATEGORY.
DOES THIS MEAN, THOUGH, THAT THE
COAST IS CLEAR?
>> THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE
COAST IS CLEAR.
WE ARE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, WE
ARE HOPEFUL, AND WE'RE THANKFUL
THAT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THE
NUMBERS GO DOWN, BUT WE ARE
STILL IN CRISIS.
WE ARE STILL IN A GLOBAL
PANDEMIC AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO
CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT.
THE WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN DO
THAT, CONTINUE WITH GOOD HAND
WASHING, CONTINUE TO AVOID VERY
LARGE GATHERINGS, CONTINUE TO
ENCOURAGE OTHERS AROUND YOU WHO
HAVE NOT ALREADY GOTTEN
VACCINATED OR RECEIVED THE
BOOSTERS TO DO SO.
INDIVIDUALS SHOULD DO THAT AS
WELL.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO STAY
VIGILANT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE
TO SEE THESE NUMBERS GO DOWN.
>> SO DOES THAT INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE RAPID TESTING AND
ISOLATING, YOU KNOW HOW PEOPLE
WERE DOING THAT AND MADLY
LOOKING FOR THESE TESTS AND
COULDN'T FIND THEM THEN AND NOW
WE HAVE STOCKS OF THEM, BUT DOES
IT INCLUDE THAT KIND OF
VIGILANCE?
>> YES, IT DOES.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT.
I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE
FEELING SICK TO STAY AWAY FROM
OTHERS TO GET TESTED SO THAT YOU
CAN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING
ON.
SO WE STILL DO RECOMMEND
FOLLOWING ALL LOCAL PUBLIC
HEALTH GUIDELINES AS IT RELATES
TO TESTING.
AND YOU CAN DO IN-HOME TESTING,
WHICH IS A GREAT TOOL IN OUR
TOOLBOX, AND YOU CAN ALSO GO TO
YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, GO TO
LOCAL PHARMACIES AND OTHER
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
AND SITES THAT DELIVER TESTING.
SO YES, THAT'S STILL A VERY
IMPORTANT THING.
>> IT DOES SEEM CONFUSING,
THOUGH, BECAUSE SOME STATES ARE
DOING AWAY WITH MASKING IN
SCHOOLS.
SO WE'VE GOT THIS EXTRA
VIGILANCE STILL UPON US AND
OTHER STATES SAYING NO, WE DON'T
NEED TO MASK KIDS IN SCHOOL.
WHERE DO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
IN WISCONSIN STAND ON MASKING IN
SCHOOLS?
>> YES.
I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION, AND
WE STAND WITH THE -- WE STAND
WITH THE POSITION OF CONTINUING
TO USE MASKS IN SCHOOLS.
WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A KEEPING
KIDS SAFE AND IN SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
WHERE WE KNOW THAT IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR KIDS TO STAY IN
SCHOOL FOR THEIR LEARNING, BUT
ALSO THEIR SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
WE WANT TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN AND
OUR EDUCATORS VERY SAFE, AND ONE
OF THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT IS
TO CONTINUE TO USE MASKS.
WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE OUR KIDS
MISSING SCHOOL.
WE WANT THEM TO BE THERE
LEARNING, WE WANT THEM TO BE
THERE SAFE, AND AGAIN, HAVING
MASKS IS STILL DEFINITELY OUR
POSITION, OUR STRONG POSITION.
>> AS TO INFECTION RATES AND
VACCINATION RATES FOR MINORITY
POPULATIONS, HOW PERSISTENT ARE
THOSE DISPARITIES?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WE STILL DO SEE DISPARITIES IN
OUR VACCINATION RATES,
PARTICULARLY SOME OF THE BIGGEST
INEQUITIES THAT WE SEE IS AMONG
BLACK CITIZENS AS WELL AS
HISPANIC CITIZENS IN OUR STATE,
AND WE ARE SEEING THAT THOSE
DISPARITIES ARE STILL IN EFFECT,
BUT SINCE LAST SUMMER OF 2021,
UNTIL NOW, WE HAVE SEEN SOME
SLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS.
THERE ARE OVERALL DISPARITIES
WHERE THERE'S -- BLACK
WISCONSINITES ARE ABOUT 33% LESS
LIKELY TO BE VACCINATED,
HISPANIC WISCONSINITES, ABOUT 13
TO 15% LESS LIKELY TO BE
VACCINATED, WHICH IS STILL A
DISPARITY BUT WE HAVE SEEN A
LITTLE IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST
SEVERAL MONTHS.
SO I'M THANKFUL FOR THAT,
GRATEFUL FOR THAT, BUT WE STILL
NEED TO CONTINUE HAVING
CONVERSATIONS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT
INDIVIDUAL CHOICE OR DECISIONS.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO THINK
ABOUT WHY WE ARE SEEING SOME OF
THOSE DISPARITIES IN THE FIRST
PLACE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH,
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH
ACCESS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
ISSUES WITH TRUST WITH MEDICINE
AND PUBLIC HEALTH THAT WE NEED
TO GET TO ROOT CAUSE OF AS WELL.
SO CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS AND
CONTINUED VIGILANCE IN THAT AREA
IS NEEDED AS WELL.
>> CONTINUED WORK, YES.
DR. JASMINE ZAPATA, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR JOINING US.