MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — COVID-19 numbers are rising again in the state of Wisconsin with seven counties in the state now rising to high community transmission levels.
However, DHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard says it’s not like previous spikes.
“What’s different about the pandemic now is that we have tools and strategies that can save people’s lives that we didn’t have in 2020,” said Westergaard on Monday.
That includes vaccines and therapeutic drugs like Paxlovid. Westergaard says despite the increased transmission rate, things have gotten much better.
“Someone’s likelihood of getting severely ill with COVID, if they’re infected today, is much lower than at any time in the pandemic,” Westergaard told reporters.
None of the counties with high transmission rates are in Northeast Wisconsin. Brown, Winnebago, Shawano, and Menominee Counties have medium transmission rates. High transmission rate counties include Monroe, La Crosse, and Vernon in southwest Wisconsin, Rusk and Barron counties in northwest Wisconsin, and Racine and Kenosha counties in Southeast Wisconsin.
