Pandemic death toll at 21
By Robert Cloud
Covid cases in Waupaca County have recently spiked, causing area school districts to close buildings or delay moving to in-person instruction.
According to the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard, there were 97 new cases during the week of Sept. 13-19 and 138 cases the week of Sept. 20-26.
Five days into the week of Sept. 27 through Oct. 3, the number of new cases in Waupaca County has already reached 193.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30, Waupaca County reported 60 new cases, the highest number for a single day since the pandemic began.
There were 56 new cases reported Thursday.
The county now has a cumulative total of 1,250 confirmed cases since the pandemic began in March.
Of those cases, 297 are still active, 932 have recovered and 310 tests are pending.
Seventy-seven people in Waupaca County have been hospitalized and 21 people have died due to the pandemic.
The dashboard also provides demographics on the ages of those who have confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Those age 50-59 represent the single largest group with 201 confirmed cases.
The second highest group are those age 20-29 with 189 cases.
The county reports 85 cases among children and teens under the age of 20, as of Sept. 30.
“We are seeing a surge in cases just as our entire region and state are also experiencing,” said Waupaca County Health Officer Jed Wohlt. “Numbers are probably spiking because of an overall lack of following the guidelines.”