by Kevin Zimmermann
SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) – The number of tests for COVID-19 in Sheboygan County has been low so far this December, as numbers overall have been mostly declining since the November peak. Still, state health officials have voiced concerns recently that lower testing numbers might lead to artificially low statistics. The change in testing numbers here has been remarkable.
National Guard community testing in Sheboygan Falls, which is done twice weekly, has a capacity of 450 persons per day. When less than that number was reported for the entire month by the Guard earlier this week, we asked the Sheboygan County Division of Public Health if this was correct. They replied: Since December 11th (11th, 16th, 18th, 23rd) WING has completed 584 tests at the ADRC. That is 584 people who potentially wouldn’t have been tested if we didn’t have our community testing location.”
To put that in perspective, the single-day test numbers for Sheboygan County on November 17th was 702 tests in 24-hours; 410 positives and 292 negatives. Yesterday, December 29th, 17 positives and 106 negatives were reported.
While numbers look low judging by tests alone, the activity level when measured by 2-week averages paint a different picture. Those statistics indicate a “Very High” activity level, with a burden rate of 967.6 cases per 100,000 population. Activity has declined 19% over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, 39 of Sheboygan County’s 93 deaths have been recorded in December. This week, that included only the second person in Wisconsin under age-20 to die of the disease.
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