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But two things are worth noting here. First, those purple and darkest red areas are not normal. They are extremely high, not something that happens every year.
Second, respiratory diseases move quickly from one part of the US to another. Historically, rises on the eastern seaboard are followed by increases in the midwest. Keep an eye on what's going on from Boston down to Washington D.C.
With that word of caution, COVID cases in Wisconsin are on a par with what we saw in early spring, much lower than the preceding Omicron surge. Positive test rates are somewhat higher, however, and hospitalizations have been creeping up since late spring.
There's good news in that RSV infections have been trending downward for the past couple of weeks. But flu and flu-like illnesses have been increasing sharply, more than fivefold since Halloween.
Vaccination
Like everywhere in the nation, the uptake rate on bivalent COVID booster shots in Wisconsin is very low, only 16% around the state. Even the leading counties (Ashland, Dane and Door) are somewhere below 30%. Flu vaccinations are higher, but still well below where experts would like them to be. Were these rates higher, we would see much lower transmission of both diseases.
All of this is a shame because both the COVID boosters and this year's flu vaccines are well-matched to the illnesses in circulation. That is, they're effective at preventing infection and severe illness for those who do get infected. (At the moment, there is no general vaccine for RSV, though one is in development for older adults.)
What to do?
It's time to communicate: We are fast approaching the deadline (December 10th) to receive COVID boosters that will be effective by Christmas. Given the fast increase in cases we've seen this season, people should also get a flu shot now.
Track the risk in your area and set your congregational policies for Christmas now. Let people know what those policies are ahead of time, including potential visitors for special services. (Don't forget our customizable mitigation table.)
Inform your community how to:
Last but not least, reinforce messages about staying home if you're sick, masking indoors, and washing hands frequently. You can find a longer list of recommendations in Tuesday's edition of our newsletter, in case you missed it. I've also created an album of new and vintage graphic resources if you need to drop something in your newsletter.
The time is upon us to face these issues directly. I'll be back next week with another update.
Stay safe and stay together,
Rev. Daniel Schultz
WCC Community Health
Program Director
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