Hospitalizations are also down in state, area
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
New confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases have continued to decline both locally and statewide in recent weeks, according to the latest numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The state health department, which reported 5,043 confirmed and probable cases the week of Jan. 18, noted Racine County saw only 600 from Feb. 2 through Tuesday.
The mid-January surge was largely attributed to the highly infectious omicron variant.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene identified 5,128 cases of the omicron variant through sampling of some positive tests, with 1,327 reported in the last 30 days.
Racine County, despite showing a decline in cases, continued to experience fatalities with 13 more deaths reported in the previous seven days.
Although Racine County experienced a downward trend, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the area remained classified as having a high level of community transmission based on two key indicators.
While CDC reported 326.01 cases per 100,000 people in Racine County, the rate of positive tests returned came back at 13.85% as of Tuesday, but both numbers marked an improvement from figures reported on Feb. 1.
A week earlier, the CDC reported a case rate of 584.28 as well as a 19.46% positivity rate.
However, because Racine County remains in the high risk category, federal officials are still encouraging people to wear masks while in public indoor settings.
Additionally, state health officials on Tuesday reiterated the need for Wisconsinites to receive a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.
“While the numbers continue to drop, note that all counties are have critically high activity,” the DHS wrote on its social media channels. “That means you need to get your vaccine or booster and follow the safety measures to stop the spread.”
Local glance
Racine County, as of Tuesday, has tallied 44,164 confirmed cases as well as 567 fatalities of people diagnosed with COVID-19 since the DHS began recording data in March 2020.
As for the last seven days, of the 600 confirmed and probable cases, only two municipalities west of Interstate 94 saw 20 or more.
The City of Burlington experienced 31 while the Town of Burlington had 27, according to Tuesday’s data.
Other communities reporting confirmed and probable cases included of the Village of Union Grove (19), Town of Waterford (14), Town of Norway (14), Town of Dover (13), Village of Rochester (9), Village of Raymond (nine) and Village of Yorkville (7).
To read the entire story — including the complete breakdown of cases and deaths per community — see the Feb. 10 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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