COVID-19 Update - Thursday, December 17th

In order to support your families being able to take a deep breath, turn away from constant news updates, and create a new temporary normal, my office will continue sending a near-daily update on the COVID-19 public health emergency and posting to our website and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is my hope that one reliable update each day will allow you to take a deep breath, oversee all that is happening in your own life and home, and have a reliable source of news you can count on to be up to date and accurate. As always, previous updates are on our website and linked beneath the graphic below.

My greatest concerns right now are your lives and livelihoods. We are working hard to keep you and your loved ones safe, and to fight for our small businesses in an unprecedented crisis.

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today the launch of WI Exposure Notification, a new mobile app to assist in notifying contacts, allowing close contacts of those with a positive COVID-19 test to take quicker action.

The voluntary app uses Bluetooth technology and is available for download in the Google Play store, while iPhone users can turn the app on in their phone’s settings. WI Exposure Notification complements the state’s and partner agencies’ current efforts in contact tracing.

The WI Exposure Notification app does not use, collect, or store any GPS data or personal details. Instead, it uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously share Bluetooth signals with other smartphones using the app nearby. All people in Wisconsin who test positive for COVID-19 will receive a code that users enter into the app. By entering the code, the person who tests positive anonymously notifies devices their phone has shared Bluetooth signals with during the period of time they may have been contagious. For the app to work properly, Bluetooth must be enabled on the device, and the WI Exposure Notification app must be downloaded and/or enabled before you receive a positive test result.

The WI Exposure Notification app will launch next week, on December 23rd, which means that Wisconsin residents with smartphones will receive a push notification within a few days of the system going live. DHS encourages all Wisconsinites to follow the directions from the notification, which will be sent from Google to Android users and from Apple to iPhone users, to ensure the app is downloaded and/or enabled.

More information on the WI Exposure Notification app works, including a Frequently Asked Questions document and an instructional video, will be available soon.

As the first COVID-19 vaccines receive approval for emergency use authorization and Wisconsin receives its first batch of these vaccines, the Medical College of Wisconsin will continue providing up-to-date information and insight regarding the pandemic through a MCW COVID-19 Community Briefing.

These webinars are open to the public. Briefings will include opportunities to ask questions from MCW experts and highlights include safety, distribution planning, what you can expect from the vaccine and community protection.

Statement on Accepting Election Results & Moving Forward to Act on COVID-19 Response

On Wednesday, I released a statement regarding thanking election officials for their work, and we must move forward to work on our COVID-19 response.

COVID-19 Community Testing Sites

WAUKESHA COUNTY

WHAT: Drive thru COVID-19 testing
WHERE: Waukesha County Expo Center (1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI)
WHEN: Tests will be administered during the following hours, or until the 300 tests per day have been administered,
Mondays & Wednesdays: 9 am – 4 pm, Fridays: 9 am – 4pm; Tuesdays & Thursday: 9am - 4pm

More information HERE.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Testing is available at Milwaukee Health Department’s Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Road, and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St. Hours are 9 am - 3 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10 am - 6 pm on Wednesdays.

A consolidated, centralized community testing location at Miller Park is now open for COVID-19 testing. Hours are Monday through Friday 11 am - 6 pm, and Saturday 9am - 3pm.

More information can be found HERE.

Free, rapid-results COVID-19 tests are now available for community members at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. For more information, click HERE.

Department of Health Services Updates

For daily updated information on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the DHS website HERE.

Updates on the Badger Bounce Back plan gating criteria can be found HERE.

Statewide

448,441 confirmed cases (increase of 3,643*)

33.3% of total tests are positive, by person (for 12/17)

19,785 hospitalizations (4.4% of cases- increase of 129)

403,706 recovered cases (90% of all cases)

2,273,936 negative test results (increase of 7,295)

4,255 devastating deaths (increase of 59)

5 patients at Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park

14th District Counties

Milwaukee - 79,396 confirmed cases (increase of 740)
Waukesha - 31,630 confirmed cases (increase of 293)

*Changes over yesterday

Forward together,