COVID-19 Community Updates

This page is designed for updates regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus and it's impact on the Whitewater community. The City of Whitewater continues to monitor regional, state and federal information and is taking steps to comply with best practices and direction provided by public health officials.
Mask Mandate Still in Effect

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Whitewater Cares Poster

City of Whitewater Mask Ordinance

The Whitewater Common Council voted to extend the mask ordinance until June 30, 2021.

Whitewater COVID-19 Information Line-262-473-1398

Emergency Rental Assistance

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission Remote Work Survey

SEWRPC is inviting all working-age residents (approximately 18-65 years old) to participate in an important regional survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on employee commuting and remote work trends in Southeastern Wisconsin. 

The pandemic rapidly changed the way employees work, with many having to quickly shift to working from home and/or adapting to stricter workplace safety guidelines. Responses from working-age residents in your respective communities, counties, or service areas can help SEWRPC understand remote work adoption rates and help guide strategies for regional alternative transportation programs in a post-pandemic future. An analysis of the survey results will be posted to SEWRPC’s website later this spring or summer. 

This survey applies to all working-age residents (approximately 18-65 years old) in the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin Region, regardless of their level of experience with remote work. This survey consists of 12 questions and will take about 5-10 minutes to complete. The survey link will be open for responses from Wednesday, March 17 through Friday, April 23, 2021. All responses are completely confidential.

Thank you for participating!


COVID-19 Dashboards and Data

Public Health Resources

Business Resources


Wi Social Distancing (1)

Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

April 15, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccine

  • This week’s Data Snapshot. Public Health continues to recommend use of Phase 3 in the Phased Reopening Guidance.
  • Public Health continues to have open appointments for COVID-19 vaccine as well as the need for a waitlist. Individuals may schedule an appointment with us or sign up for the waitlist for a particular day via walcophdose1.timetap.com 
    • If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment we ask that you cancel your appointment at least 24 hours in advance to allow someone else to take that slot.
  • This week, the CDC/FDA advised pausing the administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. You may view the joint CDC/FDA press release here and the WI-DHS press release here. 
    • Individuals experiencing concerning side effects should contact their health care provider and use the V-Safe program to report symptoms. 
    • Walworth County followed this recommendation and is not currently administering this vaccine.
  • Pfizer is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for ages 16-17. The following entities are offering Pfizer and have appointments available immediately:
  • In Deputy Secretary Julie Williems Van Dijke’s recent update she reiterated that providers will not charge for the COVID-19 vaccine and can not turn you away for not having an ID. Watch the update on youtube.

Other

  • The Department of Health Services (DHS) has released improvements to the COVID-19 Hospital data webpage
  • Walworth County has launched our “Road to Community” campaign. Follow HHS on Facebook on our journey back towards normalcy as we bring Walworth County back safer and stronger. 

FAQs from DHS

I have heard that if a person under 18 provides consent from a parent or guardian, a vaccinator is able to administer any of the approved vaccines. Is this true?

No! While all adults in Wisconsin are eligible to get vaccinated, only the Pfizer product is authorized to be administered to people ages 16 and older at this time. Without exception, providers must follow the clinical guidance in the EUA.

April 8, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

  • Public Health has administered over 11,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • All individuals in Wisconsin age 16 and over are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Currently Walworth County Public Health has only the Moderna vaccine and so can only vaccinate those over age 18. 
    • Appointments with Public Health may be scheduled via: https://walcophdose1.timetap.com/#/  Appointments often open last minute due to cancelations so check back frequently.
    • Individuals under age 18 seeking the vaccine may wish to discuss with their health care provider if a vaccine is available for them through their health care system. As more information about how minor’s may access vaccine becomes available we will provide updated instructions.
  • This week's Data Snapshot.
  • DHS has now released new COVID-19 Variant Trackers. When viewing the HERC regional grouping, Walworth County is in the Southeast Region. 
  • Public Health has launched a new campaign as we focus on recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow us on Facebook to learn more about #RoadtoCommunity and how we use the tools we have to keep our economy open, socialize safely, and continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. 

March 25,2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Vaccine Partner Resources: DHS has created a variety of handouts available in multiple languages to address eligibility, vaccine safety and hesitancy, and more.

 Other Updates

This week’s Data Snapshot.

It’s been an entire year since the COVID-19 pandemic began and changed what our “normal” looked like almost overnight. Walworth County Health and Human Services thanks our community for continuing to use #AllTheTools to keep our community safe, healthy, and thriving. To view & share the #RoadToCommunity video on Facebook, visit https://fb.watch/4spq5yxYjR/.

DHS FAQ

Are there resources I can share with the school districts in my jurisdiction that they can use to get the word out about on-going national efforts to vaccinate teachers, school staff and child-care providers?

 March is School and Childcare Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Month. The information below, provided by the CDC, can be cut and pasted into messages to share with your school districts, so they can use and adapt the messages as needed.

 Please share these resources:

Communication toolkit with posters, fact sheets, newsletter articles, social media graphics, and “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” stickers

Web page with the latest information for teachers, school staff, and childcare providers on how to get vaccinated

Plain language materials in multiple languages:

Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines

Communication Resources for COVID-19 Vaccines

Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

March 22, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

March 4, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today that in addition to the numerous resources available on the DHS COVID-19 vaccine page, Wisconsinites can now call (844) 684-1064 (toll-free) for personal assistance with their vaccine-related questions.  Social media graphics that may be shared to promote this hotline are attached. 
    • This call center can also assist individuals with finding a vaccine location, answering medical questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine, and registering for an appointment
    • Includes questions about employment, travel, eligibility, adverse reactions, safety, where to get vaccinated
    • The call center is available to anyone with questions, but will be particularly helpful for Wisconsinites without internet access or who have difficulty navigating the internet
  • Want to know what it’s like to get a COVID-19 vaccine at HHS? Check out the video of our clinic. It is located about halfway down on our vaccine website. https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/896/COVID-19-Vaccine-Information

Other Updates

DHS FAQ

Are election poll workers considered a priority group eligible for COVID-19 vaccination as of Monday, March 1?

  • Election poll workers are not an eligible group at this time, therefore individuals serving as poll workers are not eligible unless they fall into another currently eligible group. For further information on the COVID-19 Vaccine, including eligibility criteria, where to get a vaccination, and other frequently asked questions, check this DHS webpage.

February 25, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

Testing

Other Updates

FAQ from DHS

Why are we starting new groups when we have not finished others?

It is very important that we vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible. By starting groups while finishing others, we can make sure that no vaccine goes to waste and those who are at risk have the best chance of getting a vaccine sooner.

February 22, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Public Health Clinic Update:
    • We have administered all of the vaccine we have received.
    • We received 47% of our vaccine request from the state this week.
    • We completed our first second dose clinic last week.
  • On February 18, DHS announced the Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Registry that will be launching March 1. The vaccine registry is a website that will connect people with available vaccine by letting them know where and when they can get vaccinated. The software will be rolled out in phases to local and tribal health departments, and DHS expects the vaccine registry will be available to all interested vaccinators in the state by April 1. Currently only a limited number of vaccinators are available on this registry. Release in Spanish here.

 Other Updates

  • DHS launched a new variant case counter. As the pandemic continues, DHS is able to identify and understand new variants through molecular surveillance.

FAQ from DHS

Is there updated guidance on face coverings? I would like to provide refresher and booster messaging in my community.

  • The recent guidance from CDC on face masks focuses on the fit and filtration of masks for protection of health care personnel and the general community. The guidance is based on a recent CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure.
  • Masks should:
    • Completely cover the nose and mouth
    • Fit snugly against the sides of the face and not have any gaps
    • Be handled only by the ear loops, cords, or head straps (not by the surface of the mask)
  • Masks should be worn:
    • Any time you are in a public setting
    • Any time you are traveling on a plane, bus, train, or other form of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations
    • When you are around people who do not live with you, including inside your home or inside someone else’s home
    • Inside your home if someone you live with is sick with symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive for COVID-19
  • Masks should not be worn:
    • By a child under 2 years of age
    • By someone with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, for reasons related to the disability
    • In a situation when wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job duty as determined by the workplace risk assessment
  • Language above comes from the CDC. For specific Wisconsin guidance related to face covering requirements, please see Emergency Order #1. Unless otherwise noted, this order is in effect until March 20, 2021. Additional data supporting the importance of fit and filtration is available in this background information for face coverings document.

February 18, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Pre-registration for COVID-19 vaccine is now open for those listed in the next eligible category by DHS. Please review the attached State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee and let those individuals who may be eligible know that they can register for a COVID-19 vaccine via the county website. Vaccination of the next eligible group can not begin until after March 1, 2021.
  • CDC has released an easy to understand website about What to Expect After Getting a COVID-19 Shot.

Other Updates

  • This week’s Data Snapshot. Two of the Key Indicators, Hospital Staffing & Long Term Care Facility Staffing, have hit an optimal status and cannot improve any further. When an indicator hits this status, they will now be signified with a green check mark.
  • On February 18, 2021, Walworth County will move into Phase 3 of its Phased Reopening Guidance for COVID-19. The move comes after all eight key indicators on the Walworth County’s Public Health Community Data Dashboard for COVID-19 successfully met improvement criteria thresholds for over the last 14 days.

FAQ from DHS

Being a rural jurisdiction, it is often difficult for community members to arrange transportation to COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Are there transportation resources I can share with people?

  • Yes, during the COVID-19 public health emergency, BadgerCare Plus and Wisconsin Medicaid members who are eligible for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services may schedule rides to COVID-19 vaccination appointments with MTM, Inc. (Wisconsin’s NEMT manager) once members have confirmed their appointment. This includes rides scheduled the same day as the appointment.
  • To schedule a ride, members may call MTM, Inc. at 866-907-1493 (TTY 711). When scheduling their ride, members will be asked to provide their ForwardHealth ID (from their ForwardHealth card) and the address of the vaccination site.
  • For more information regarding scheduling rides, refer members to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services NEMT website.

I have received a lot of questions about eligibility versus availability of COVID-19 vaccinations. Is there a response I can use to address this topic that aligns with DHS messaging? 

  • According to the DHS website, COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed to Wisconsin residents in a phased approach. It is important to remember that vaccine supply is limited and vaccinations are targeted to specific groups of people with a higher risk for COVID-19 infection. It will take time to reach all people within each priority population and phase. There is not a hard start or stop for each phase. As vaccine supply and the number of vaccinators increase, phases for distribution may overlap.
  • The State of Wisconsin is committed to the equitable and fair distribution of the vaccine, and is following prioritization guidelines from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)(link is external) and the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC). Many of the priority populations included in each phase are still pending ACIP and SDMAC recommendations.

February 15, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Public Health Clinic Update
    • We have administered all of the vaccine we have received.
    • We received 40% of our vaccine request from the state this week.
  • Public Health is now accepting registrations for the next eligible group via the Walworth County website. This group is tentatively slated to be eligible for vaccination on March 1.  View more details in the attached SDMAC document or online here. Currently there is not sufficient vaccine supply to vaccinate this entire group and it will take months. Please be patient. 
    • Education and child care
    • Individuals enrolled in Medicaid Long Term Care programs
    • 911 operators
    • Utility and communications infrastructure
    • Public transit
    • Food supply chain
    • Non-frontline health care personnel
    • Staff and residents of congregate living
    • Mink husbandry
  • DHS Investing $6.1 Million to promote equity in COVID-10 Vaccine Program.
    • Approximately half of the investment will fund efforts to activate organizations to serve as trusted messengers to build vaccine confidence and reduce barriers that may impede vaccinations in urban and rural areas.
    • The remaining $3 million will supplement current vaccine equity work being done by Federally Qualified Health Centers, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, Family Health La Clinica, Minority Health Grantees, and United Way of Wisconsin 2-1-1.
    • View the full press release and find the application here.

 Other Updates

  • COVID-19 Health Alert #27: Wisconsin has adopted the updated CDC quarantine guidance for fully vaccinated people who are exposed to COVID-19   A summary of this was provided in this update from Thursday 2/11 update.

FAQ from DHS

I have received a lot of questions lately about the importance of face coverings and how to use them most effectively. Are there reliable resources I can quickly share on this topic.

 How effective are cloth face coverings at preventing spread of the virus?

Cloth face coverings are recommended because they form a barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people. Droplets are released when someone coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice, which is why consistently wearing the face covering is important. This is called source control and is based on what we know about the role respiratory droplets play in the spread of COVID-19, paired with evidence from clinical and laboratory studies that show cloth face coverings reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. Because COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet), the use of cloth face coverings is especially important in settings where people are close to each other or where practicing physical distancing is difficult.

February 11, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • DHS released a new vaccine data dashboard that includes county level data. View the media release here and the dashboard here. 
  • Walgreens is now accepting appointments for vaccination as a part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. View the media release here. This includes Walgreens in Whitewater, Elkhorn, Delavan, and Lake Geneva. Quantities of vaccine remain limited.
  • On Monday 2/15 Public Health will begin accepting registrations for the next eligible group via the Walworth County website. This group is tentatively slated to be eligible for vaccination on March 1.  View more details in the attached SDMAC document or online here. Currently there is not sufficient vaccine supply to vaccinate this entire group and it will take months. Please be patient. 
    • Education and child care
    • Individuals enrolled in Medicaid Long Term Care programs
    • 911 operators
    • Utility and communications infrastructure
    • Public transit
    • Food supply chain
    • Non-frontline health care personnel
    • Staff and residents of congregate living
    • Mink husbandry

Other Updates

  • This week’s Data Snapshot.
  • CDC has updated, and Wisconsin supports, quarantine guidelines for vaccinate individuals. A vaccinated person with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 is not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria: 
    • Their exposure to COVID-19 was:
      • More than 14 days after they were vaccinated with their second dose of vaccine in a two dose series, or one dose in a single dose vaccine. 
      • Within 3 months following receipt of the last dose of vaccine in the series
    • They have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure.
    • Read more here.

Q&A from DHS

What is a COVID-19 variant?

  • A variant is a new strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a specific number of gene mutations that make it unique from the original strain identified.

How are new variants identified?

  • This is done using a process called whole genome sequencing. Whole genome sequencing takes a sample of the virus and reads the genetic code, the RNA. By doing this, unique strains of the virus are able to be identified.

Does the state screen for COVID-19 variants?

  • Wisconsin DHS, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, and other laboratory partners regularly work together to ensure whole genome sequencing is performed on a small proportion of positive tests. Mutations among viruses are very common - it's expected to occur in all viruses, including COVID-19.

February 8, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Public Health Clinic Update
    • We have administered all of the vaccine we have received.
    • We received 20% of our vaccine request from the state this week. 
  • Gov. Evers, DHS Announce First Community-Based Vaccination Clinic in Rock County to Open February 16. View the press release here.
  • FAQ provided by DHS: COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility: What to Know.

Other Updates

February 2, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Walworth County Public Health Vaccination Status
    • Administered 100% of the doses we received last week during our first week of clinic.
    • We received 40% of the vaccine we requested for the week of 2/1
    • We continue to receive approximately 500 registrations requesting vaccination per day via the form on the county website. This is predominantly age 65+ with some lingering 1a providers included.
    • Public Health continues to focus vaccination on 1a providers and those age 65+ whom do not have a primary medical provider.
  • Availability of vaccine continues to be the limiting factor in the speed of vaccination in our community.
  • Terminology change: DHS has changed the terminology they are using to communicate with the public in an attempt to make it more easily understandable. They are now using currently eligible (health care providers, seniors, police and fire) and future eligible (formerly 1b, 1c, 2 and 3). This change is also reflected on the county website.
  • Added to the County Vaccine Website: links to information for patients at Mercy, Aurora and neighboring systems.
  • FAQ resources on COVID-19 Vaccination from Project Finish Line

Other Updates

 

DHS FAQs

What do we know and not know about the vaccine safety for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children and what are we recommending here in Wisconsin for this group of people?

  • The data is not yet available to establish the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine when it comes to pregnant women. We do know that pregnancy may increase the risk of illness from COVID-19. Studies are ongoing and more are planned. The recommendations state if a pregnant woman is part of a recommended group, such as a health care professional, she may choose to be vaccinated and have a conversation with her health care professional about risk and benefits. For women who are breastfeeding, mRNA vaccines are not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants and she may choose to be vaccinated as well. More data is needed for children, which is forthcoming. Learn more on CDC’s website.


January 28, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Scams: A number of health departments in the area have reported that individuals pretending to be health department employees are making fake vaccination calls. They are even using spoofed numbers to appear to be from the health department. If you find a call questionable, hang up and call the health department or health care provider number directly. Below please find information and resources to share with your consumers on avoiding vaccination scams:
    • As COVID-19 vaccinations continue in our community, please be aware of potential COVID-19 vaccine scams. If a vaccinator calls you to schedule an appointment they will not ask for any personal or financial information and will not ask for payment to reserve or receive your vaccine. Learn more about how to avoid COVID-19 vaccine scams from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer protection here.
  • Phase 1b: DHS announced that phase 1b will be tentatively eligible for vaccine on March 1. View the press release here.
    • On 2/15 public health will open a registration form for 1b individuals.
    • In coordination with the other vaccinators in our county we will use registrations from this form to connect those seeking vaccine with a vaccinator. 
    • Please do not contact the health care systems directly about receiving vaccine. 
    • Those in 1b should register through the county form.   
  • Eligibility: Attached is a graphic that highlights who is eligible for vaccination in Wisconsin. 
    • Individuals over age 65 who have a health care provider should wait to hear from their provider. Our health care systems have asked that people not call their providers in order to leave phone lines open for other care needs. They will contact you when you when vaccine is available for you.
    •  Public health continues to register those in phase 1a, police and fire, and those over age 65 who do not have a health care provider. 
    • To date we have over 4,000 registrations. 
  • The following are vaccination story maps that can be used to help explain what the vaccination process is like:
    Vaccination Story Map - English
    Vaccination Story Map - Spanish

Other Updates

  • This week’s data snapshot: COVID-19 Data Snapshot 1-28-2021 . 
    • Definitions corresponding to the arrows on the snap shot are available on our Community Data Dashboard under the ‘Key Indicators’ tab, https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/888/Community-Data-Dashboard. The color signifies if the indicator is improving, remaining the same, or worsening, and the arrow signifies the direction of change in the trend.
    • We remain in Phase 2
  • DHS released a dashboard looking at the impact of COVID-19 by race and ethnicity. View the dashboard here. 

January 25, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Vaccination remains limited to those in phase 1a and individuals age 65+ years. Find more info from DHS here.
  • Health care systems will be reaching out to their existing patients that are older than 65 to schedule an appointment when vaccine becomes available to them. The systems ask that people not call them directly at this time. 
  • Public Health will begin vaccinating those in phase 1a and individuals age 65+ this week by appointment only.  We received 77% of the vaccine we requested for this week.

Other Updates

  • A new Walworth County COVID-19 Data Dashboardis now available on our website. This dashboard now includes updated figures, testing data, and vaccination data. The Walworth County Key Indicators will be updated on this dashboard weekly on Thursdays. The indicators from last Thursday have been posted on this dashboard.
    • Updated Phased Guidance may be found on our website. The progression through phases has been changed to reflect recent best practices and to help move or community through an incremented recovery that relies on local key indicators. 
  • Last week’s data snapshot with the new metrics: Walworth County COVID-19 Snapshot 1-25-2021
    • Based on current key indicators we are in Phase 2 in the phased guidance. 

January 21, 2021- Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Walworth County Public Health is now registering the following groups for COVID-19 Vaccination:
  • Vaccine supply remains limited. The size of the eligible population greatly outnumbers the amount of vaccine. It will take weeks to months to get everyone in the currently eligible population vaccinated. For reference, there are 700,000 people in the age 65+ population who are eligible for the vaccine and WI is only receiving 70,000 doses of vaccine weekly.
  • For updates, please register with Walworth County via the alert center or by checking our COVID-19 Vaccination Page.
  • Phase 1B has not officially been released. We hope to see the final populations that will be in 1B still this week.  Once finalized registration will be completed through the same form linked above.

 Other Updates

  • An updated data dashboard and Phased Guidance will be released on Monday 1/25. This dashboard update will include vaccination data. At that time the data snapshot for this week will be released. 
  • View the most recent DHS media briefing here. 
  • DHS and WEDC Partner on Employer Survey
    • The Department of Health Services (DHS) and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) worked together on a survey that employers in your community may receive (or have already received). The aim is to broadly understand and support employers’ efforts to promote vaccine uptake. The survey results will be used internally to help DHS and WEDC develop information, materials, or other methods to increase the vaccination rate.
    • The survey can be found here, and you are welcome to share it with businesses and organizations (including nonprofits) in your community.
  • Gov. Evers Announces New Public Health Emergency, Issues New Face Coverings Order as State Continues Vaccine Distribution 

January 18, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

Other Updates

Frequently Asked Questions:

Once a person has been immunized (both shots) and completed self-quarantine following both immunizations, that person is assumed to be successfully immunized.  However, while that person may be immune, could that person still be a “carrier” who could infect others?

  • The phase 3 clinical trials of the vaccine only have looked at the benefit of the vaccine in preventing illness (mild, moderate and severe). They were not designed to provide information on transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we do not know whether a vaccinated individual may still have the ability to transmit this virus. – Jonathan L. Temte, MD/PhD, associate dean for Public Health and Community Engagement, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

My staff are in the draft 1b category and want to get the COVID vaccine. When will be able to get the vaccine, how will we know we can get it, and how do we sign up?

  • As of the time of this email WI Department of Health Services has not yet confirmed who will be in the 1B vaccination category or when that will be activated. 
  • Currently the state remains in phase 1a. Once 1b is activated the Wisconsin State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC) will release guidelines on how individuals within the 1b group should be prioritized for vaccination. Vaccinators will work through these recommendations to structure their vaccine distribution.
  • Those identified in 1b will be able to register through a 1b form on the county website. Those registering will be filtered based on SDMAC guidelines and then assigned to a vaccinator. 
  • Public Health estimates that the 1b category in Walworth County could be approximately 20,000 individuals. This size of a population, paired with limited amounts of vaccine and limited capacity of vaccinators will mean it will take a significant amount of time to work through this phase

January 14, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

Other Updates

January 11, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Vaccine is not yet available to the general public. Walworth County must follow the state mandated phases for vaccination. Please be patient as we work through the phases.
  • If you are a medical worker or volunteer for a Walworth County organization and meet the classification for Phase 1A, please review the following guidance:
    • Check with your organization’s healthcare system about vaccine availability
    • If you are not affiliated with a healthcare system that is able to vaccinate, Walworth County Public Health may be able to provide you with a vaccine or match you with another vaccinator.
    • Individuals should  fill out the COVID-19 Phase 1A Vaccine Registration here.
    • If you are an employer wanting to register your organization, everyone within the organization will need to complete their own registration by completing the COVID-19 Phase 1A Vaccine Registration above.
  • Questions about the registration process may be directed to walcoph@co.walworth.wi.us 
  • DHS today announced police and fire are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine beginning on 1/18. As emergency medical responders in our community Mercyhealth and Advocate Aurora have already begun vaccinating this population. 
  • This was the first week in Wisconsin that more doses of vaccine were requested by vaccinators than vaccine available. 

Other Updates

  • The Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities has developed a social story about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. This is geared toward helping people with developmental disabilities have a better understanding of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where can I direct members of the public with general vaccine questions?

Will Walworth County be tracking and publishing data on the number of people  vaccinated within the County?

  • Yes. Public Health can access information on the number of people who reside in the County that have received the COVID-19 vaccine via the Wisconsin Immunization Registry. As we continue to work to provide relevant and transparent information on the COVID-19 recovery we will be looking at how this information can best be communicated to the public. 

January 7, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

  • This week's COVID-19 data snapshot: COVID Snapshot 1_7_2021
  • DHS COVID-19 vaccine media briefings are available  at https://www.youtube.com/user/dhswi.
  • Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) Research Partners are recruiting middle and high school students to engage in discussions about how they are coping during COVID-19. Please share their flyer or visit the WIPPS website for more details.
  • Thanks to our health care partners, Mercyhealth and Advocate Aurora, COVID-19 vaccination of first responders in Walworth County will begin late this week and continue into next week. 

Q&A from WI-DHS

When will vaccine be available to the general public and how will it be administered?

  • It will likely take several months before we are able to provide widespread vaccinations in Wisconsin. Once the vaccine is available for the general public, there will be a number of ways to receive it including, through a doctor’s office visit, at local pharmacies, local and tribal health departments, community based clinics, and mobile vaccination sites. We are committed to ensuring that the COVID-19 vaccine is accessible to all Wisconsinites through planning, distribution, and ongoing partnership with our local, state, and federal partners.
  • The DHS website now has a  frequently asked questions for COVID-19 vaccine stakeholders, which is part of the DHS COVID-19 vaccination web resources. 

How is COVID-19 vaccine being allocated in Wisconsin?

  1. Fill partial vaccine orders, where applicable. This ensures that everyone who applies to get vaccine will get some, instead of only a few entities.
  2. Vaccine should be administered in the shortest possible time after receipt by vaccinating entity.
  3. Give greater priority to vaccinating entities who will administer vaccine in communities characterized by higher levels of social vulnerability. 
  4. Give greater priority to vaccinating entities who will vaccinate unaffiliated healthcare providers such as emergency medical responders.

January 4, 2021 Key Walworth County Updates

  • The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has launched a COVID-19 Vaccination data page. 
  • A few variant strains of COVID-19 have been detected. DHS is currently collecting information on these variants. Find out more on this topic from CDC here.

December 30, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • This week's COVID-19 data snapshot: COVID Snapshot 12_30_2020.
  • The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) launched its new COVID-19 vaccine data page yesterday. Data shown includes summary metrics for allocation, shipment, and total vaccine administered, as well as a graph displaying the number of vaccinations administered per day. DHS plans to update these visualizations at 2 p.m. every Tuesday.
  • Walworth County Public Health has a COVID-19 Vaccine Information page on our website. This page will be frequently updated as more information becomes available.

Walworth County Public Health recognizes the unprecedented challenges and selfless sacrifices that our community, schools, and business have made throughout 2020 as a result of the pandemic. We appreciate our community's support and partnership during this past year - Happy New Year!

 

December 23, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

December 21, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

Vaccination

  • Vaccination Talking Points
    • COVID-19 vaccine supply is limited right now; but WI expects to receive additional supply in coming weeks. 
    • Vaccine is currently targeted to frontline health care workers and residents of long term care facilities. It will take a few months to get this group vaccinated. (COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Phases graphic)
    • We ask for your patience as we work together to get to a point where everyone who wants a vaccine has access to a vaccine.  
    • It will take time for the community to reach herd immunity. In the meantime we need to use all of the tools we have to continue to slow the spread; stay home when sick, socially distance, limit gathering size, wear a face mask, and wash your hands regularly. (All the Tools graphic)
  • Individuals interested in volunteering to assist with vaccination efforts should register for the Walworth County MRC via the Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry (WEAVR). Volunteer contact will occur through this system should volunteers be needed (Be a Hero MRC flyer). 

Other Updates

December 17, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

FAQs from DHS

If someone has had COVID-19, do the antibodies disappear after a certain amount of time? 

  • The answer, unfortunately, is complex and somewhat unsatisfying. It appears that in many people, the antibody produced in response to an infection depends upon how sick an individual was and also tends to decline with time.  We cannot predict in whom or how fast this decline will occur.  In addition, the antibody tests are far less than perfect and provide false positive results (indicating exposure when there has been none) and false negative (indicating no exposure when someone has actually been infected).  In general, most people will make antibody, but this will decline over time.  We are working to discover the rate to which this decline occurs. - Jonathan L. Temte, MD/PhD, Associate Dean for Public Health and Community Engagement, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health UW COVID questions

December 15, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

Testing

  • UW Whitewater Surge Testing Update:
    • Testing will continue through January 22, 2021
    • Monday-Friday 10am-6pm
    • Closed 12/23/2020-01/03/2021
    • Register online at www.doineedacovid19test.com
  • Find current Walworth County testing information and flyers on our website, under the Testing tab.

Vaccination

Data

 

FAQs from DHS:

Where can I direct members of the public with general vaccine questions?

DHS has created a general inquiry inbox for the public to use to send in COVID-19 vaccine questions: DHSCOVIDVaccinePublic@wi.gov. Additionally, there is the DHS COVID-19 Vaccine page, which contains some commonly asked questions.

Health care providers and vaccinators should continue to submit their questions to DHSCOVIDVaccinator@wi.gov and refer to the DHS COVID-19 Vaccinator page for information.

December 11, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

The following are flyers for COVID-19 testing locations:

You can also find a daily calendar of testing information for December on the County website

December 10, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

Testing

  • Based on current information the Wisconsin National Guard testing site at the County Fair Grounds ended this week. We are awaiting approval for extension of this testing site possibly beginning in January. If the site is continued through December we will provide information once that is confirmed. 
  • Open Arms Free Clinic will be providing a community COVID-19 testing site at the fair grounds for the next few weeks to ensure that we have adequate access to testing for our community over the holidays. A testing flyer is attached. 
  • Covenant Harbor’s testing site continues through December.
  • UW-W Surge Testing will continue. Visit www.doineedacovid19test.com to register for an appointment. 

Data

  • WI DHS has launched a COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Dashboard. 
    • Wastewater surveillance may allow an increase in COVID-19 cases to be detected as early as a week before a rise in cases from clinical testing is detected
    • View the press release HERE.
    • New map views from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services have been added as a tab to the Walworth County COVID-19 Community Data Dashboard. A variety of metrics can now be viewed on a county, city, school district, and zip code geographic level.

Vaccination

  • View the WI DHS update on COVID-19 Vaccination HERE.
  •  DHS has launched a new webpage with important information and answers to common questions about the flu and the flu vaccine. The webpage also includes a link to the Vaccine Finder, so people can find where the vaccine is available near them. In addition, DHS has also created a “Be an InFLUencer” fact sheet with data and other details about preventing flu.
  • AdvocateAurora will be hosting a town hall meeting on 12/16 at noon where their leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Rob Citronberg, will answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. RSVP as going to get a notification to watch live via Facebook: https://fb.me/e/10nTOCaBP 

December 7, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

December 4, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

November 30, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

November 23, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • With Thanksgiving coming up later this week, consider ways to safely celebrate the holiday season. If celebrating in person with individuals outside of your household we recommend keeping your gathering small and practicing physical distancing as much as possible. Below are some helpful resources to plan your holiday. Resources that will be available on the HHS Facebook page are also attached and may be shared. 
  • COVID-19 testing through the National Guard for Walworth County moved to the Walworth County Fair Grounds on 11/24. Public Health continues to coordinate with community partners with the goal of helping them establish testing sites at other locations beginning in December.
  • Vaccination planning continues. There is still much unknown about the vaccination process and when Walworth County will receive vaccine, as well as what priority groups will be targeted for vaccination in the first phase.

November 19, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

FAQs from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Is there a brief list of ways people can make safer choices about planning or participating in holiday gatherings?

Ideas to celebrate more safely

  • Share a meal with only the people who live in your household.
  • Prepare meals and treats in a way that doesn't involve contact, this can be a great way to safely share the holidays with family, friends, and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
  • Have a virtual dinner with friends and family. Consider virtually connecting while you cook, while you eat, or both.
  • Shop online rather than in person.
  • Watch sports events, parades, and movies from home.

Make safe choices

  • Avoid travel. Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.
  • Be mindful that a COVID-19 test only shows if you have COVID-19 at the moment of your test. If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, it can take up to 14 days to develop symptoms or test positive.
  • Stay home as much as possible.
  • Wear a mask when you are in public or in a place with people outside of your household. 
  • Maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance between yourself and others who don't live with you. 
  • Wash your hands frequently.

November 16, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

FAQs from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Do people who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 need to quarantine or get tested if they come into close contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19?

  • People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again if they are a close contact of another person that tests positive for up to 3 months after initially testing positive, as long as they do not develop symptoms again. If they develop symptoms, they should isolate and contact a health care provider to discuss whether they should be retested.

November 12, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for Whitewater

Key Walworth County Updates

  • Walworth County continues to experience high levels of demand for testing at the community site. Free community testing for COVID-19 is also available at UW-Whitewater 5 days a week. People may register for a test appointment at UWW by visiting www.doineedacovid19test.com Up to 500 antigen tests are available each day at this site. 
  • Walworth County continues to see an increasing positive test rate. Additionally many of our partner organizations are experiencing staffing shortages as staff become ill or exposed. We kindly request everyone encourage others to limit unnecessary trips and practice physical distancing as much as practical.  Remember a negative test today doesn’t mean you won’t contract coronavirus tomorrow and is not a way to get out of quarantine early. 
  • The WI-DHS has added additional data to their the Disease Activity Dashboard including a category of “critically high” and information on probable cases by County.
  • Information about becoming a COVID-19 Vaccination site and the enrollment process can be found on this page. Including an FAQ on what it means to be a vaccination site and who should enroll. 
  • Are you following the Walworth County HHS Facebook Page. Check us out for infographics and more to share with your partners and customers. 

November 9, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

WI DHS FAQ

When someone cannot wear a face covering due to being in the group of people the CDC recommends not to wear a mask, how could this person visit their loved ones as safely as possible?

  1. Maintain physical distance in a well-ventilated room
  2. In addition to physical distancing, other protective measures include: 
    • Wear face shields
    • Use clear physical barriers, such as a Plexiglas barrier on a table  

According to the CDC, face coverings should not be worn by:

  • Children younger than 2 years old
  • Anyone who has trouble breathing
  • Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the covering without assistance

November 5, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • Due to technical difficulties, the Walworth County COVID-19 Dashboard has not been updated since 11/3. Walworth County will be postponing the weekly COVID-19 Data Snapshot posted to Facebook and our website every Thursday until tomorrow, Friday 11/6. We are working to fix this problem as soon as possible. 
  • Through the hard work of our Public Health Specialists and Walworth County IT the Walworth County COVID-19 School District Data Dashboard is now publicly available on our website. This dashboard is updated Tuesdays & Fridays with the most recent COVID-19 data of all cases located within school district geographic boundaries. Walworth County Public Health has been working closely with school administrators and sharing this data with them since the beginning of the school year. This information does not look solely at cases of students/staff within districts, but instead all Walworth County residents within district boundaries and should not be used in isolation to determine COVID-19 status relating to a district. 
  • The Walworth County COVID-19 Key Indicators have been updated today (11/5/20) on the website. 
  • UW-Whitewater Community Antigen Testing starts on 11/9: As a part of the UW System surge testing program UW-Whitewater is hosting community testing. This test is a self-collection antigen test designed to screen individuals. Based on results a PCR test may be collected. Free COVID-19 Testing flyer. View more information here: https://www.uww.edu/warhawks-return/testing
  •  The following are updated multi-testing county flyers highlighting all of the reoccurring testing sites in our surrounding communities. Multi-County Community Testing English and Multi-County Community Testing Spanish
  • Public Health, AdvocateAurora, and Mercyhealth hosted a town hall meeting on Healthy Schools during COVID-19. The recording of the town hall may be viewed here: https://bit.ly/2TUPHzN  Passcode is: L+.8Mz&a 

WI-DHS Q&A on Quarantine

Why do people quarantine?

When someone is exposed to COVID-19, they must quarantine for 14 days. Exposure includes the following types of contact or closeness with someone who is infected: having direct physical contact (such as a handshake or hug), being within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour period, coming into contact with the person’s respiratory secretions (including being coughed or sneezed on, touching a used tissue, sharing personal items), and staying overnight at the person’s home. The purpose of staying home and not being around other people (e.g., not going to work, not seeing people socially, not running errands, etc.) is to stop the spread in case the person who was exposed to COVID-19 becomes infected.

What if we were wearing PPE?

Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be fitted to the individual, and people in health care settings are trained to properly put on and take off PPE. Only medical-grade PPE, worn by individuals trained in its use, is considered able to reduce the risk of transmission sufficiently to make quarantine unnecessary in the event of close contact with a person known to have COVID-19. Everyone else must quarantine for 14 days, regardless of the use of PPE. 

If I test negative for COVID-19, can my quarantine end before 14 days?

No. It can take up to 14 days after exposure before an infection develops, so a negative test does not change the quarantine end date.

Are there any exceptions when someone could be exempt from quarantine?

On a case-by-case basis, health care* and public safety workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 may, under certain circumstances, be approved to break quarantine to go to work when there is a compelling health or safety reason. Please note, the exception is only to go to work, not to buy groceries, engage in social activities, etc. Quarantining is one of the best tools we currently have to stop the spread of COVID-19. While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued guidance indicating workers in a broad range of “critical infrastructure” sectors may be exempted from quarantine, DHS recommends that all individuals and workers quarantine for 14 days, with the exception above. 

*Note: health care workers include anyone involved in direct patient care (e.g., nurses, nursing assistants, technicians, physicians, phlebotomists), as well as those not directly involved in patient care but who could be exposed (e.g., environmental services). Health care workers include personnel working in hospitals, outpatient medical clinics, long-term care, and assisted living residential facilities.

November 2, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • Due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Walworth County, Walworth County Public Health has implemented Crisis Standards of Practice for notification and contact tracing. Effective Friday, October 30th, we will prioritize contacting positive cases who are age 60 and older and children who are 18 years old and younger. All other individuals will be contacted as capacity allows. View the press release here for more information. Help promote resources for notifying your close contacts by sharing the information available from DHS here.
  • Walworth County has complied a list of the COVID-19 testing locations in our neighboring counties. Please share with anyone looking for testing resources. We will do our best to keep this updated, but residents should be encouraged to verify times and locations before going to a site as alterations may be made by the locations as necessary. Multi-County Community COVID-19 Testing flyer
  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd, it’s important to remember that many of our normal voting practices may be altered. Below are resources for communicating about safe voting during COVID-19:

October 26, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • Walworth County reoccurring community COVID-19 test site starts tomorrow at Lakeland Community Church. Flyer COVID-19 Testing Lakeland Community Church - English and Flyer COVID-19 Testing Lakeland Community Church - Spanish
  • After completing 500 tests in under one week, Open Arms Free Clinic has completed their contract and has closed for community testing. As a valued partner in our community they will be working with Public Health to help provide testing upon referral by Public Health for outbreak management. 
  • The Walworth County Case Data Dashboard is now available on mobile!  View this and the desktop version of the dashboard on our County HUB site. Visit the dashboard for the most up to date data.
  • CDC Updates Definition of Close Contact 
    • Note: CDC's update does not change recommendations for Wisconsin. Public health guidance in Wisconsin has included "single encounter of more than 15 minutes OR multiple encounters with a single day adding up to more than 15 minutes" in the definition of close contact for several months. See also: Contact Risk Assessment Flowchart on PCA Portal COVID-19 Resources under "Case Investigations Toolkit"
    • CDC’s definition of a close contact shifts from someone who spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of a confirmed case to someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

October 23, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • Following the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) update over the weekend Public Health needed to move into Crisis standards for contact tracing to ensure high priority contacts and disease incidents were contacted promptly. As of today we have moved out of crisis standards and are back performing full close contact notification.
  • A community testing site will begin at Lakeland Community Church on Tuesday 10/27. The site is open to the public and will operate Tuesdays from 9a-5p through December 10, 2020. COVID-19 Testing Lakeland Community Church English flyer. A Spanish version of this flyer will be available early next week.
  • Regional testing sites are available. COVID-19 Testing Racine-Kenosha-Walworth English/Spanish flyer
  • This week’s COVID-19 Data Snapshot. Remember you can find the metrics published here updated daily on the County’s COVID-19 data dashboard key indicator tab.
  • Tellyourcontacts.org is a free service that individuals who test positive for COVID-19 can use to anonymously tell their contacts they may have been exposed
  • Updated: Public Gatherings Limit FAQhas been updated with information about indoor spaces that are exempt from the order. 
    • Grocery stores have now been added as an exempt indoor space under “public infrastructure”.

October 19, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

COVID TESTINGCOVID TESTING Spanish 

October 19, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • Public Health continues to work through the changes in our data analysis due to the WEDSS update. Data this week may be delayed or appear skewed. 
  • Walworth County Public Health is hosting a flu shot clinic for children & teens on Saturday, Oct. 24th from 8-11:00am. Please see the attached flyer for more information. This year it is extra important to get your flu shot to prevent our hospitals from being overburdened. 

Say Boo to the Flu (English)

Say Boo to the Flu (Spanish)

October 16, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • This week’s Walworth County COVID-19 Data Snapshot: COVID SnapShot 10-15-2020
  • A change in the way we calculate active and recovered cases has been performed. The data guru’s in public health have identified methods to make this reporting more accurate. This change will slightly alter the recovered case number resulting in a decrease on the graph on the data dashboard. However, this will make the data more accurate as we move forward.  
  • The Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) will be undergoing routine maintenance Friday October 16, 2020, through Sunday, October 18, 2020. Walworth County Public Health will not be contacting any positive cases or contacts during the system upgrade and will resume contact on Monday, October 19th. Individuals who are awaiting test results should stay home, isolate away from other individuals, and monitor for symptoms. The Walworth County Data Dashboard will not be updated on Monday, October 19th and will resume normal updates on Tuesday, October 20th. 
  • Times are stressful and COVID is certainly having an impact on mental health throughout our communities.  Annually in October Walworth County has a suicide awareness and prevention walk. This year’s will look a bit different. The Walworth County Out of Darkness Experience will be occurring on 10/24/2020. Find more information here: https://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.event&eventID=6931  
  • Looking for resources for safe holiday celebrations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html 
  • Today, Oct. 15th, is Global Handwashing Day. Hand hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. The CDC has several resources to promote handwashing.

From the Health Officer:

Since March of 2020 Walworth County Public Health staff have managed more than 30,000 COVID-19 test results and 111 COVID-19 outbreaks, this is thousands more communicable disease reports than are typically seen in this county in a year, let alone 7 months. If you interact with a local public health employee please give them your thanks; be they from Walworth County or anywhere else in the state. Their work is difficult and often underappreciated. They’ve maintained dignity and grace in very trying times.  Thank you local public health staff.

Respectfully,

Erica Bergstrom, MPH
Health Officer
Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Public Health
1910 County Road NN, PO Box 1005, Elkhorn, WI 53121
Office: (262) 741-3200
Fax: (262) 741-3757

October 12, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

Walworth County Public Health is hosted a virtual town hall in partnership with Advocate Aurora Health and Mercyhealth, ‘Healthy Schools During COVID-19’ on Tuesday, Oct. 13th at 5pm. Visit https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/885/Virtual-Town-Halls to learn more.

October 8, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • Gov. Evers Directs Department of Health Services to Limit Indoor Public Gatherings 
  • This week’s Walworth County COVID-19 Data Snapshot is attached.
  • An update to the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) will occur 10/16-10/18. This update will impact our ability to complete contact tracing over that weekend and will result in anomalies in our data. These data abnormalities are not expected to last more than a week but we want to encourage caution when viewing the data during the week immediately following the update. At this time we are not sure of the full impact of the update on our data monitoring and reporting. More information will be shared as available.

Message from Sheriff Picknell

“I have reviewed the emergency order and spoke with the District Attorney along with Walworth County Health and Human Services Public Health. The District Attorney advised that Wisconsin Statute 252.25, the statute permitting enforcement of the order, does not allow citations to be issued against businesses.  Businesses are free to set their own public health restrictions on the number of people who enter or gather within their business and they may deny entry or service to people refusing to follow the business’s restrictions.  

Walworth County Public Health will continue to partner with the Sheriff’s Office to track concerns and implement appropriate Public Health responses. Our Health and Human Services website https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/FormCenter/Public-Health-Division-4/Mask-Mandate-Compliance-Concern-58 offers an opportunity for the community to report concerns directly to the Public Health Department.  This website https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/856/COVID-19also houses the recently updated Phased Guidance document that provides clear strategies for individuals and businesses.”

September 28, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

  • Community Testing:
  • Walworth County is hosting a community COVID-19 testing site on Sept. 29th & 30th 10am-6pm at the Walworth County Fairgrounds. Testing information

FAQs:

Should employers notify other employees if they learn about a COVID-19 case in the workplace?

If an employer learns that a worker is confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, the employer should inform fellow workers who were in close contact with the individual that they were possibly exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace. Employers must maintain the confidentiality of the infected individual, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, employers must report the case to their local or tribal health department (LTHD) and follow guidance from the LTHD.

“Close contact” is defined as:

  • Anyone who was within six feet of a person who tested positive for at least 15 minutes in a 24-hour period, starting from
  • Two days before the individual developed symptoms.
  • Two days before their positive test, if the individual did not have symptoms. 
  •  Or someone who
  • Had direct physical contact with the person who tested positive, including but not limited to a hug or a handshake.
  • Came into contact with the person’s respiratory secretions, including but not limited to exposure to cough or sneeze droplets; contact with a used tissue; or sharing a drinking glass, towel, or other personal item.

September 24, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

Walworth County COVID-19 Snap Shot

FAQs:

How can you avoid exposure when living with someone diagnosed with COVID-19?

If someone in your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, there are precautions you can take to avoid exposure so you and others can stay healthy.

  • Limit Contact - avoid physical contact with the diagnosed person or their respiratory droplets and avoid sharing personal items
  • Wear Mask and Gloves - if physical distancing is not possible, it is important to wear a mask when around the diagnosed person. Gloves are recommended when cleaning and disinfecting areas and objects used by an infected person.
  • Clean and Disinfect - clean hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer, clean and disinfect "high touch" areas, and clean and disinfect any areas the diagnosed person came into contact with
  • Track Your Own Health - household members should stay home and quarantine and check for symptoms including cough, fever, and shortness of breath

These precautions are detailed in the DHS How to Avoid Exposure When Living with Someone Diagnosed with COVID-19 factsheet, which is available in English, Hmong, and Spanish

COVID TESTING

COVID TESTING Spanish

September 17, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

FAQs:
 How do I address false claims that may be circulating in my community about COVID-19 prevalence, face coverings and other aspects of this pandemic and still keep the focus on the message that I want people to hear?

Occasionally, public health may not be able to avoid addressing false claims. In these situations, consider the approach of George Lakoff and journalists who are using a technique called the “truth sandwich.”

Lakoff’s truth sandwich recipe is:

  1. Start with the truth. The first frame gets the advantage.
  2. Indicate the lie. Avoid amplifying the specific language if possible.
  3. Return to the truth. Always repeat truths more than lies.

For an example of the "truth sandwich," and other communication reframing techniques applied specifically to the issue of face coverings, check out Tips for Communicating about Masks in the Midst of Misinformation from Berkeley Media Studies Group.

September 14, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

covid testing image

September 3, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates

August 31, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • Walworth County Public Health has developed and published a guide for parents with students returning to school this fall:
  • Walworth County Immunization clinics have reopened and are by appointment only.
    Monday - Friday
    8:00 am to 4:30 pm
    Call to schedule an appointment - 262-741-3200

August 27, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

August 24, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • Public Health is partnering with Mercyhealth and Advocate Aurora for the "Employer Best Practices during COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall".  This event is a partnership between Walworth County Public Health and our community healthcare partners.  The event is scheduled for MONDAY, AUGUST 31ST AT 9:00AM.   Registration is required for this event. Please visit https://bit.ly/2Qk37DJ to learn more and register. 
  • New and Updated Resources from the Wisconsin Farmworkers Coalition and Family Health La Clinica

o   Wisconsin Farmers Coalition Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers (MSAW) COVID-19 Resource Page

o   Dairy Workers COVID-19 Resource Page

FAQs

Do people who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 need to quarantine or get tested if they come into close contact with someone who is infected with COVID-19?

People who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again if they are a close contact of another person that tests positive for up to 3 months after initially testing positive, as long as they do not develop symptoms again. If they develop symptoms, they should isolate and contact a health care provider to discuss whether they should be retested.

August 20, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

*The Department of Health Services has released the COVID-19 Individual Decision tool to help people make safe decisions about how and where to gather. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/news/releases/081920a.htm

*The Department of Health Services also released its long-awaited Guidelines for the Prevention, Investigation, and Control of COVID-19 Outbreaks in K-12 Schools in Wisconsin.  https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p02757.pdf  This document is helpful, although offers much of the same information local health offices have been providing to school districts throughout the summer.  It does not provide specific guidelines about when schools should offer face-to-face, hybrid, or distance learning.  These decisions remain in the hands of individual school districts and local health offices. 

August 17, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Key Walworth County Updates:

  • 715 people took advantage of COVID testing during the two-day public testing event in Delavan
  • The CDC released a number of updates included below:

 FAQs:

Are there supports or tools I can offer to community members, school personnel, and families to help with children's emotional health during these stressful times?

The Feelings Thermometer, provided through the Office of Children's Mental Health (OCMH), is available for download or order a free magnetized version for easy posting. It is a visual tool to post on the refrigerator that helps everyone — from kids to adults— measure how they are doing emotionally with tips on how to shift your mood from angry to calm. Research tells us that just identifying a calming activity can reduce anxiety.

OCMH has also recently released the Supporting Child Well-Being Through Improving School Outcomes fact sheet which focuses on what parents, early childhood education providers, teachers and districts, and policymakers can do to support students at risk for expulsion.

The Resilient Wisconsin website also offers practical tools and sources of support that can help strengthen personal resilience during times of stress, so parents and caregivers can take care of themselves and those people around them during COVID-19 and beyond.

August 13, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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August 6, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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August 3, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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July 30, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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July 27, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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July 23, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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July 20, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater

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July 16, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater

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July 13, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

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July 9, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-07-09 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community
  1. BigFootTestingFlyer7-14_Eng
  2. BigFootTestingFlyer7-14_Span
  3. LGTestingFlyer7-28_Eng
  4. LGTestingFlyer7-28_Span

July 6, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-07-06 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

July 2, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-07-02 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 29, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-29 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 25, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-25 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 17, 2020


Focus Forward Podcast Ep 3: President Ray Cross and the UW System - Ray Cross, president of the University of Wisconsin system, discusses students’ desire to thrive despite COVID-19 university closures. WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes speaks with Cross about Wisconsin’s future and the investments we can make as we return from the pandemic.

June 16, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-16 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 15, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-15 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 11, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-11 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 10, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-10 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 9, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-09 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 5, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-05 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

June 4, 2020- Virtual Town Hall Meeting Notice

  1. 2020-06-04 Virtual Town Hall Meeting Notice

June 3, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-06-03 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 29, 2020- City of Whitewater Reopening Local Government Plan

  1. 2020-05-29 City of Whitewater Reopening Local Government Plan

May 26, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-05-26 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 22, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-05-22 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 15, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

Municipal Facility Closures

Though the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the Governor’s Safer At Home order (Order #28), many of the practices outlined in the Governor’s order were of significant value in protecting the health and safety of employees. Because the dangers associated with the spread of COVID-19 remain, the City of Whitewater will continue with modified operations until further notice. As a result, municipal facilities will remain closed to the public until further notice. This standard will be reevaluated on or before June 1, 2020. Any updates or changes will be provided publicly via this page as well as the City’s other media outlets. 

May 14, 2020- Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

View the May 14, 2020 press release from City Manager, Cameron Clapper in reference to the changes made to the Safer at Home Emergency Order #28.

May 13, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-05-13 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 8, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

  1. 2020-05-08 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 8, 2020- Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) – Reopen Guidelines for Businesses

Visit the WEDC website for relief and recovery resources for Wisconsin businesses.

May 6, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates

  1. 2020-05-06 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 5, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates

  1. 2020-05-05 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

May 1, 2020 Key COVID-19 Updates

  1. 2020-05-01 Key COVID-19 Updates for the Whitewater Community

April 24, 2020- City Services & Facilities Update

  1. 2020-04-24 City Services - Facilities Update

March 31, 2020- SBA Paycheck Protection Program

To All Whitewater Businesses:

Please see the below information regarding the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which was signed into law by President Trump on Friday (March 27th). Special thanks to Knight Public Affairs for assembling this information.

Individuals with questions should contact their preferred lender for more details.

The CARES Act will put the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses and nonprofits into action.

The SBA is finalizing the regulations and requirements for the PPP and banks are waiting for guidance on how to move forward, however it is important for you to get with your lender now to be prepared in every way you can.

The documents below will help you begin the process:

CARES Act FAQs

Small Business Owners Guide to the CARES Act

Here are more COVID-19 procedures and announcements that may be helpful to you:

DOR Tax Filing Deadline Extension

DOT Rest Areas Remain Open

OCI Guidance on Insurance Flexibility

DATCP Guidance for Food Supply and Delivery

DOT Emissions Testing Timeline

DWD Unemployment Information

DFI Federally Insured Financial Institutions

DPI Updates

March 24, 2020- Municipal Building Closure Update

  1. 2020-03-24 Municipal Building Closure Update.pdf

March 24, 2020- In-Person Absentee Voting Hours

  1. 2020-03-24 In-Person Absentee Voting Hours.pdf

March 18, 2020- City Manager Declares City State of Emergency

  1. State of Emergency 2020.03.18

March 17, 2020- Municipal Building Closure & In-Person Absentee Voting Hours

  1. 2020-03-17 Municipal Building Closure & In-Person Absentee Voting Hours.pdf