Waupaca County’s covid death toll reaches 16
By Robert Cloud
Several area residents, including a Waupaca physician, asked the Waupaca County Health and Human Services Board to consider an order to mandate wearing face coverings.
They are concerned the state Legislature or litigation may overturn Gov. Tony Evers’ public health order requiring masks when indoors in public places, such as stores, schools or restaurants.
They spoke at an HHS board meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
“At this point in the pandemic, education is not what we need,” said Marci Reynolds, a retired registered nurse, certified diabetes educator and former supervisor of health and wellness at ThedaCare in Waupaca, noting the county needed to provide some guidelines to protect the pubic health.
She said she learned from her experience how difficult it is to persuade chronically ill patients to make lifestyle changes.
“It was difficult to get people to make changes even if it meant their own life and death,” Reynolds said.
Dr. Russ Butkiewicz, of Waupaca, told the board he wears a mask, not only to protect himself but to protect his patients.
He stressed the pervasive nature of COVID-19 in the area.
“I’ve seen patients who have had covid. I’ve had patients who have died of covid,” Butkiewicz said.
“We’ve had three providers who have been out of the office because their family members have been affected by covid, so they’re not able to work, which really reduces our ability to staff well and provide appropriate care for people,” he said.
In addition to asking the county to enact a mask mandate, Butkiewicz asked the county to provide more specific information about where there have been positive test results.
He said if a patient has been to a place where positive cases have already been reported, health professionals will know they are at a higher risk.
Butkiewicz pointed to Wood County as a model for reporting the sites where employees or customers have tested positive.
Wood County names the bars, restaurants or churches where people have tested positive and the dates and times when others may have been exposed.
The goal is to inform residents of their potential risk for exposure.
“If you think you were exposed at one of these establishments during this time, stay home and quarantine and call the Wood County Health Department,” according to a recent Wood County press release.
Wisconsin Health Services does not name businesses where multiple covid cases have been reported.
The state covid database site only lists the number of investigations and the names of long-term care facilities.
In Waupaca County, a total of 29 investigations have been conducted.
The state’s covid website reports 14 investigations of long-term care facilities or group homes (nine still active), seven investigations of production, distribution or office locations (six still active) and eight active investigations of workplaces such as day care centers, restaurants or churches.
Only the nursing homes are identified.
County’s response
When asked his opinion on reporting specific worksites where there have been positive cases reported, County Public Health Officer Jed Wohlt described providing the information as “a bit complicated,”
“We have had numerous worksite outbreaks, from small offices to large production facilities. It can happen anywhere, which is why it is so important for employers to do as much as they can to implement COVID-19 safety protocols and practices,” Wohlt said.
“We have seen where businesses that have safety measures in place have been able to control and isolate an instance when they have had an employee that is a confirmed case, and we have seen where businesses that have not followed any of the guidelines available to them have had outbreaks occur to the extent that the business has had to temporarily close,” Wohlt said.
Wohlt said the county will work with the state mask mandate for now.
“Regardless of a mandate, we would be asking people to take a personal responsibility to help our community slow the spread of COVID-19, and wearing a face covering is an easy thing for all of us to do,” Wohlt said.
COVID-19 cases
As of Aug. 12, Waupaca County had reported a total of 16 covid deaths and 495 positive cases.
Of the positive cases, 76 were still active and 403 have recovered.
A total of 39 people in Waupaca County have been hospitalized due to COVID-19.
The county reported that 8,570 cases tested negative, while 131 were still pending.
In the week from Aug. 6-12, 78 positive cases have been reported.
Those between the ages of 20-29 in Waupaca County have the highest number of covid cases at 91.
The 50-59 age group is second highest at 88 cases.
Children 9 years old and younger have the lowest number at 4, while the county reports that 34 teens have tested positive.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported a total of 62,061 positive cases and 1,011 covid deaths statewide as of Aug. 12.
More than 5,100 Wisconsinites have been hospitalized due to COVID-19.