COVID-19 Update - Tuesday, December 22nd

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 a new contract with Vault Medical Services that will make at-home COVID-19 saliva collection kits available to everyone who lives in Wisconsin, with or without symptoms, at no cost.

Wisconsinites can order a collection kit online and have it shipped to their home. The kit will include detailed instructions on how to collect the saliva, which includes a video call with a testing supervisor through Vault Medical Services, and ship it back via UPS dropbox to the lab for processing.

A saliva test is similar to a nasal swab test you might receive from a provider or at a community testing site. Like a nasal swab test, a saliva test determines whether you have an active COVID-19 infection and can spread it to others. More information can be found on the Wisconsin COVID-19 testing webpage.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill yesterday, and the bill now heads to President Trump to be signed.

This bill includes a $600 direct stimulus payment to many Americans, a $300/week additional unemployment benefits, and other relief for schools, businesses, healthcare providers, restaurants and theaters, among others.

More information to come regarding how much of this relief funding will be available to Wisconsinites.

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced that Wisconsin is expecting shipments of the Moderna vaccine to begin arriving at hospitals and clinics across the state this week. The initial shipment is expected to be 16,000 doses, with state health officials planning to receive a total of 100,000 doses in the upcoming weeks. Unlike the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna vaccine can be stored in normal freezers, which allows the vaccine to be shipped directly to vaccinating entities across Wisconsin.

Wisconsin reported today a record high in new daily COVID-19 deaths at 120. The total COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin is now 4,545.

These deaths are a lagging indicator from the spike in COVID-19 cases in November. Though the daily reported COVID-19 cases are lower than last month, the deaths have increased and case rates still remain high. Below is a graph showing the rate of deaths from COVID-19 since the end of March in Wisconsin.

Please continue taking precautions to protect yourself and those around you to prevent the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask, stay at home whenever possible, maintain physical distance when around people outside of your household, wash your hands.

Due to the holidays, our COVID-19 e-updates with have an adjusted schedule. This will be our last COVID-19 e-update before the new year - I wish everyone a safe and peaceful holiday season, and we will have more COVID-19 e-updates for you in the new year.

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

461,015 confirmed cases (increase of 2,403*)

35.1% of total tests are positive, by person (for 12/22)

20,355 hospitalizations (4.4% of cases- increase of 187)

421,506 recovered cases (91.5% of all cases)

2,303,714 negative test results (increase of 4,449)

4,545 devastating deaths (increase of 120)

3 patients at Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park

14th District Counties

Milwaukee - 81,526 confirmed cases (increase of 402)
Waukesha - 32,697 confirmed cases (increase of 253)

*Changes over yesterday

Forward together,