THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> IN PANDEMIC NEWS, THIS WEEK
THE U.S. MARKED 1 MILLION DEATHS
CAUSED BY COVID-19 SINCE THE
START OF THE OUTBREAK.
NOW COVID-19 CASES ARE ON THE
RISE AGAIN.
18 WISCONSIN COUNTIES ARE NEWLY
DESIGNATED WITH HIGH LEVELS OF
COVID COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION,
ACCORDING TO A NEW ASSESSMENT
TOOL FROM THE CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL.
BARRON COUNTY IN NORTHERN
WISCONSIN IS ONE OF THESE.
WE CHECK IN WITH BARRON COUNTY
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER LAURA
SAUVE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO THE STATE REPORTS THAT
COVID CASES HAVE GONE UP AT
LEAST 50% IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.
WHAT KIND OF INCREASES ARE YOU
SEEING IN YOUR COUNTY?
>> WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IN THE
LAST FOUR WEEKS A FAIRLY STEADY
RATE OF CASES.
WE'VE BEEN IN THE HIGH RISK
RANGE ON AND OFF FOR FOUR WEEKS
AS WELL.
>> SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BARRON
COUNTY TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING?
>> SO WE'RE NOT SEEING ONE LARGE
OUTBREAK THAT'S SPURRING THIS.
WE'RE REALLY SEEING, WHEN WE
TALK TO PEOPLE, THAT IT STILL IS
SPREAD MOSTLY WITHIN A FAMILY
UNIT OR WITHIN SOCIAL SETTINGS,
PEOPLE GOING TO AN EVENT AND NOW
WE'RE SEEING A COUPLE OF PEOPLE
COMING DOWN WITH THIS AND THEN
SPREADING TO OTHER PEOPLE WITHIN
THEIR SOCIAL CIRCLE.
>> SO HOW CONCERNING IS THIS TO
YOU AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER
THERE?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE
ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT ANYTHING
THAT'S GOING TO MAKE PEOPLE ILL.
ESPECIALLY THE REASON THAT WE'RE
IN HIGH RISK IS BECAUSE WE ARE
SEEING MORE HOSPITALIZATIONS,
AND THE CDC'S NEW DESIGNATION
TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE NUMBER OF
CASES AS WELL AS HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE BEING HOSPITALIZED AND HOW
MANY AVAILABLE HOSPITAL BEDS WE
HAVE.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS CONCERNED JUST
LIKE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC, WHERE WE WANTED TO
SLOW THE CURVE AND PROTECT OUR
HOSPITAL SYSTEMS, WE'RE REALLY
LOOKING TO PROTECT OUR MEDICAL
SYSTEM SO THAT, IF I GET IN A
CAR ACCIDENT OR HAVE A HEART
ATTACK, I CAN STILL GET THE
QUALITY CARE WE'RE USED TO.
>> HAVE YOU SEEN ANY DISCERNIBLE
CHANGE IN PREVENTIVE BEHAVIOR,
LIKE INDOOR MASK WEARING AS
RECOMMENDED BY STATE HEALTH
OFFICIALS AMONG THE PUBLIC THERE
IN RESPONSE TO THIS?
>> I WOULD SAY WE DON'T SEE A
LOT OF MASK WEARING IN OUR RURAL
COMMUNITIES AS A WHOLE.
THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT HELPS
PROTECT US AND OUR NEIGHBORS
THAT WE WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE
TO CONTINUE TO DO, ESPECIALLY
WHEN WE'RE IN THIS RED HIGH RISK
TIME.
>> DO YOU SUSPECT THAT THE
NUMBERS IN YOUR COUNTY AND
ELSEWHERE ARE ACTUALLY HIGHER
BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE TEST
POSITIVE WITH THESE HOME TESTS?
>> OH, YES.
WE BELIEVE THAT OUR NUMBERS ARE
A VAST UNDERCOUNT OF THE NUMBER
OF POSITIVE TESTS AND POSITIVE
CASES THAT ARE ACTUALLY
CIRCULATING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY
AT THIS TIME.
>> DID PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS
LIKE YOURSELF THINK THAT WE
WOULD BE IN THIS PLACE AGAIN AT
THIS TIME?
IT KIND OF SEEMED LIKE WE HAD A
HANDLE ON THIS.
>> RATE.
I THINK THE AMOUNT OF HOPE WE
HAD IN EARLY 2021, WHEN THE NEW
VACCINES WERE COMING OUT AND WE
WERE SO HOPEFUL THAT WE WERE
GOING TO SEE THE ENDS OF THIS
THROUGH VACCINATION EFFORTS, I
THINK IT'S BEEN SOUL CRUSHING,
TO BE HONEST, THAT THAT DIDN'T
COME ABOUT.
WERE HOWEVER, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
GETTING VACCINATED AND SOME OF
THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD
PREVIOUS INFECTIONS ARE NOT
GETTING, USUALLY, AS SERIOUS OF
INFECTIONS THIS TIME AROUND.
SO WE STILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
GET VACCINATED.
>> BECAUSE I NOTE THAT BARRON
COUNTY HAS A FULLY VACCINATED
AND BOOSTED RATE OF 29%.
THAT SEEMS LOW TO ME.
WHAT'S YOUR COMMENT ON THAT?
>> WE ARE SEEING ABOUT HALF OF
OUR POPULATION WHO HAVE HAD THE
INITIAL DOSE OF THE VACCINES,
AND WE ARE ACTIVELY AT PUBLIC
HEALTH AND OUR HEALTHCARE
PARTNERS ARE ACTIVELY OFFERING
THE BOOSTERS AND ENCOURAGING
PEOPLE TO DO THAT.
HERE AT PUBLIC HEALTH, WE'RE
GOING INTO OUR LONG-TERM CARE
FACILITIES TO MAKE SURE ALL OF
OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS
ARE FULLY VACCINATED AND HAVE
HAD THEIR FIRST AND SECOND
BOOSTERS.
YOU KNOW, WE JUST CONTINUE TO
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE AND MAKE THE
VACCINE AS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE
FOR PEOPLE.
>> YOU SPOKE TO HOSPITALIZATIONS
AND HOW THAT HAS LED TO THE HIGH
KIND OF CATEGORY IN YOUR COUNTY.
IS THERE A DANGER AT THIS TIME
THAT THOSE HOSPITALS ARE KIND OF
REACHING ANY KIND OF CAPACITY?
>> I HAVE NOT SEEN THAT.
HOWEVER, I HAVE SEEN IT AS
NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN, OUR
HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY RESPONSE
COALITION PUTS OUT A REPORT ON A
WEEKLY BASIS, AND THERE ARE SOME
CONCERNS THAT SOME OF OUR HIGHER
LEVEL CARE FACILITIES, WHERE WE
MIGHT TRANSFER SOMEONE WHO MIGHT
BE MORE SEVERELY ILL, ARE SEEING
LIMITED SPACE AGAIN, SO THAT
ABILITY TO TRANSFER T THE MORE
SERIOUSLY ILL PEOPLE MIGHT BE
MORE LIMITED.
I WOULD HATE TO GIVE YOU THE
WRONG INFORMATION ABOUT OUR
SPECIFIC HEALTHCARE ENTITIES.
BUT THAT'S WHAT I KNOW ON A
REGIONAL BASIS RIGHT NOW.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK
AND YOUR TIME TALKING WITH US ON
THIS, LAURA SAUVE.
THANKS.