In a news release on April 3, Walworth County Health officials indicated that they have detected COVID-19 in “all major Walworth County communities.” It was stated that the county Division of Public Health is “either monitoring cases or conducting contact investigations in every Walworth County community.” According to the release, testing resources are being used for those who are “critically ill.” Consequently the total number of cases in the county “is no longer an accurate measure of the spread of COVID-19.”
In a telephone conversation with a Banner staff member on April 7, Carlo Nevicosi, Deputy Director of the Walworth County Department of Health & Human Services, confirmed that there are “confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19” in Whitewater. Mr. Nevicosi stated that he was not at that time authorized to release any further information regarding the nature of those cases. However, he did indicate that all identified individuals in the county have been “well behaved” in following the health department’s requests, and no legal quarantine orders have had to be issued. Contact tracing is also being conducted.
Carlo Nevicosi also confirmed that the county is in compliance with the Governor’s Emergency Order #19, which requires health departments to provide emergency dispatch centers with the addresses associated with persons who have tested positive for the virus. Dispatch centers are then responsible for conveying this information to first responders such as law enforcement, fire, and rescue personnel in order to protect their health and safety.
Nevicosi was pleased to report that so far there have been no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of the long term care facilities in the county. Anyone in one of those residences who is symptomatic is being tested.
As of April 7 at 1:30 p.m., Walworth County had twenty-one laboratory confirmed cases with five of those persons currently hospitalized. Twelve of the twenty-one persons were considered to have recovered. No deaths have been reported.
Key Updates from Walworth County:
- The weather is warming and people will be tempted to gather outside. Social distancing remains one of the best tools we have to slowing the spread of the virus. Please remember to:
- Stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from other people
- Do not gather in groups
- Stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings
- Stay-at-home orders have the potential to exacerbate feelings of loneliness, depression and substance use. The Department of Health Services has launched the Resilient in Wisconsin Initiative to help Wisconsinites cope, stay connected and build resilience during this crisis. Data, resources, and evidence-based tools can be found here https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/resilient/index.htm.
- The Department of Children and Families is connecting essential workforce families with available child care resources. To request child care, essential workforce families should fill out this form. Families can also search for available care at a publicly available map. Please submit your request as soon as possible to help child care centers determine whether to stay open to meet the local demand.
