Sunday, July 17, 2022
Wisconsin's not as bad as other places, but BA.5 is also being felt here
While it's nowhere near the disastrous levels that we saw each of the last 2 winters, COVID cases and hospitalizations are coming back on the rise in the US in Summer 2022.
Wisconsin is fortunate to be having its outdoors season right now, and we have largely avoided the big COVID numbers that are hitting the South and the West Coast these days. But we also have seen new (reported) cases rise following the 4th of July, and are still much higher than they were in April.
We also have seen hospitalizations increase here in the last month. Not to a drastic level, but up around 15% since the start of July. And that increased rate of hospitalization has caused the number of Wisconsin counties with "high" levels of community to jump from 1 at the start of the month to 14 today.
Maybe I'll keep it around the family and friends when I go up North in a couple of weeks.
Deaths also rose in June after bottoming out at the end of April. Still well below anything we saw in the Winter, but it's also slightly above what we were seeing this time last year (y'know, when we figured COVID was over).
It's obnoxious, but I also don't sense any appetite for any kind of mandates or restrictions from anyone. Even Milwaukee's health deaprtment merely issued an "Advisory" on mask-wearing when the county ended up at the "high" community level on Friday. We gotta be smart and aware, and staying boosted so if we do get hit with BA.5, COVID is an annoyance rather than a serious problem.
But I'd like to see cases fade down as the Summer goes on. Let's see if it does after the data distortions of the 4th of July sort out, stay on your toes, and keep on bobbing and weaving.
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After more than two years of bobbing and weaving, COVID finally got my wife and I in late June. We had thrown caution to the wind and took a day trip to Wisconsin Dells. Totally against our usual habit, we dined indoors at a packed-to-the-rafters restaurant where nobody—customers or employees—was masked at any time (including us). Also an ice cream and a fudge shop. Sure enough, three days later we tested positive. Because we are both fully vaxxed and double-boosted, our symptoms were mild and went away fairly quickly. It was still shocking and scary, though.
ReplyDeleteMy big fear for the midterms is not so much inflation but COVID. If it gets out of control and there are lockdowns and mandates, voters are going to be pissed (even though the severity of the pandemic is completely in our own hands and is easily mitigated by continuing to get boosted and using some common sense). Keeping my fingers crossed.
Minnesconsin Tom