By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner staff
whitewaterbanner.com

The Whitewater Banner staff has communicated with the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services in an effort to find out how many of the nearly 1300 people who were tested at Perkins Stadium between May 27-30 tested positive for COVID-19. Unfortunately, according to Carlo Nevicosi, Deputy Director of the DHHS, “We do not and won’t have this number.  With regard to testing sites, the data we get back from the state lab is not “event-specific.”  That means that in the course of a day, we could receive results on 500 cases, but not know where they were tested.  Lots of tests on Walworth County residents are performed in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and even in neighboring counties.” Those tested reside in six different counties.

Of course anyone who was tested should have received a call telling them whether they were positive or negative, and it does help the county and the state to have the compilation of all the tests that were performed in any setting.

As of June 11, 471 residents of Walworth County had tested positive for the virus, and there had been 17 deaths. 66 of those who tested positive, or 14%, reported that they had not experienced symptoms when they were tested. It has been determined that asymptomatic people can transmit the infection; in fact, they may be at their infectious peak at that time. Overall, 7% of those who have been tested had laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Walworth County is hoping that another testing site may be scheduled in Elkhorn during the last week of June. The Banner will publish any nearby sites that are scheduled.