COVID-19 Update - Tuesday, December 8th

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.

Yesterday, Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk and Immunization Program Manager Stephanie Schauer participated in a COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A. Questions were related to prioritization, vaccine quantity, safety, the differences between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine candidates and much more.

New Daily COVID-19 Cases In Slight Decline - Still High Percentage of Positive Cases

Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials said in a media briefing today that there has been a slight decline in daily positive COVID-19 cases reported in Wisconsin since mid-November - however, it is too early to tell if this is a significant trend. There also has been a decrease in testing. DHS officials encourage Wisconsinites to continue to get tested if they believe they have COVID-19 or have been exposed.

The daily reported new cases are still extremely high, and we need to continue utilizing best practices to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and across the state.

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

418,446 confirmed cases (increase of 4,114*)

42.9% of total tests are positive, by person (for 12/8)

18,500 hospitalizations (4.4% of cases- increase of 214)

356,752 recovered cases (85% of all cases)

2,207,950 negative test results (increase of 5,477)

3,806 devastating deaths (increase of 68)

9 patients at Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park

14th District Counties

Milwaukee - 73,750 confirmed cases (increase of 740)
Waukesha - 28,853 confirmed cases (increase of 399)

*Changes over yesterday

Forward together,