Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services says January is predicted to be a bad month for COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. However, trying to nail down an exact time when the coronavirus will peak is hard to predict. At a Thursday afternoon news briefing, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer with the D-H-S Bureau of Communicable Diseases, says even the best modeling data is far from exact.
Wisconsin records it’s highest number of single day COVID-19 cases. The D-H-S reports 11-thousand-547 new confirmed COVID cases, which is the highest number since the pandemic began in 2020. The seven-day average of new confirmed cases is 6,808. That’s an 85 percent increase from last month. The increase of the COVID-19 omicron variant in Wisconsin shows just how resilient the disease is. While it’s less severe that the other coronavirus strains, the D-H-S says it shouldn’t be taken as a sign that people are developing immunity to COVID. At a Thursday news briefing, Dr. Westergaard says the rise of the delta and omicron variants show how quickly the coronavirus can adapt to changing treatment and diagnostic options.
The Department of Health Services also urges people to get tested for COVID-19, especially as case numbers grow with the spread of the omicron variant. Traci DeSalvo, Director of the D-H-S Bureau of Communicable Diseases, says testing is prudent following holiday gatherings.
DeSalvo recommends you check with your doctor about COVID-19 testing, or make use of community testing sites or home tests.
