Public health officials believe that with the proliferation of at-home testing, the results of which don’t get registered with local and state health agencies, the actual incidence of COVID-19 may be in excess of that reported by agencies such as the Sheboygan County Division of Public Health. However one measure kept by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services doesn’t depend upon such reporting. Instead, COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance in Wisconsin samples effluent from Wisconsin wastewate sewersheds, areas that are served by public wastewater treatment facilities, to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus gene copies, particles every human will shed into wastewater when infected. In the cases of both such entities in Sheboygan County, the Plymouth Utilities and the Sheboygan Wastewater Treatment facilities, concentration of virus particles are on the rise. These trends are considered leading indicators of coming transmission by public health officials.
In the case of Sheboygan, numbers went from 10.2 million gene copies per person per day as of March 9, to 25.8 million on March 12. That’s considered a moderate increase.
In the case of Plymouth, the 13.3 million gene copies per person per day on March 5 increased to 60.1 million by March 12.
The Wisconsin DHS says that an increase in virus gene copies over time shows that cases may be increasing in the community. Charts supplied by the DHS also include case trends, which have roughly mirrored the wastewater readings.
On Monday, 29,448 total cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed by the County DPH, up 8 from Friday. There were 84 active cases, 4 more than last reported on Thursday. The 7-day average of daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 most recently reported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services was 6, up slightly from the previous reading. Recoveries increased by 20 in the last 4 days, while deaths remained unchanged at 266.
The number of persons ever hospitalized at least once for COVID-19 in Sheboygan County increased by two, to 1,212, and there’s one patient currently being treated.
63.0%, or 72,554 persons, have received at least one dose of vaccine, a downward revision of 6 since Friday. Four more received their 2nd dose, raising that total to 69,644, or 60.5%. 33.1%, or 38,124, are now boosted, 20 more than on Friday.
There were no skilled nursing long-term care facilities with active investigations reported on Monday, however three education settings were noted, including the James Madison Elementary School, the lone facility on last week’s report. They were joined this week by Plymouth Horizon Elementary and Plymouth High School.
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