DRIFTLESS AREA - Over the past week COVID-19, diagnoses statewide increased from 75,603 on Monday, August 31 to 82,477 on Tuesday, September 8. That is a statewide increase of 6,874 cases. The number of deaths increased from 1,122 to 1,168, an additional 46 deaths, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

According to the Tuesday, Sept. 8 issue of Up North News, weekend coronavirus infection reports from the state Dept. of Health Services show a noteworthy increase in the rate of positive tests, quite likely a reflection of a surge of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin colleges, universities, and schools as well as a decline in total public testing due in part to ongoing problems in the federal supply chain. Due to a weeklong fluctuation in daily numbers due to technical issues and the holiday weekend, it would be more useful to compare the past seven days compared to the previous seven. From last Tuesday through Labor Day, DHS reported 6,157 new COVID-19 cases and a positivity rate of about 10% and 46 deaths. For the previous seven days there were 4,749 cases, a positivity rate of about 8 percent, and 41 deaths. The state's death toll stands at 1,168. The US death toll reached 190,000 on Tuesday morning.

Crawford Countysaw 16 new cases, increasing to 120. The number of negative tests increased by 121, and there have been no deaths in the county.

The Crawford County Public Health Department will be holding COVID-19 testing events twice a week beginning on September 14, 2020.  Testing will be Mondays, 11 a.m. – 12 noon and Fridays, 9-10 a.m. at the Crawford County Administration Building parking lot, 225 N. Beaumont Rd. Prairie du Chien, WI 53821. These testing events are primarily for Crawford County residents that do not have insurance, are under-insured, or do not have a primary care provider.  “This is an attempt to take away barriers for our residents to get a COVID-19 test if they are experiencing symptoms,”says Riniker.

All tests must be scheduled in advance.  Call the Crawford County Public Health Department at 608-326-0229 to schedule an appointment.  There is no cost to participate.  The Crawford County Public Health staff will follow-up on results of all testing within 3-5 days post the event.

If you would like to nominate a business for our weekly spotlight, let us know the business name and how they are helping to slow the spread of COVID -19. You can nominate multiple ways: send a personal message to the health department through our Facebook page @CrawfordCountyPHD or call the office at 608-326-0229.

Vernon Countysaw an increase of 18 cases in the last week, increasing to 117. The number of negative tests increased by 434, and there have been no deaths.

It was reported on Tuesday, Sept. 2, that in a letter sent to parents, the Kickapoo School District says it has three new COVID-19 cases among students bringing the total cases in the district to four. The letter says they don’t have any confirmed or suspected transmission of the virus within the school environment. Health officials will be contacting anyone who may have come in close contact with the confirmed cases.

Vernon County Health Department issued a public health notification on Friday, Sept. 4: we are issuing a public notification regarding COVID-19 as we have not been able to identify all close contacts and members of the public that may have been exposed at Rivers End Bar in Ontario during the evening of August 21st, 5:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on August 25th, and 11 a.m. -1 p.m. on August 29th. Please note, unless you are contacted by the health department, there is no need to quarantine. While we would consider this a low risk exposures, if you were at the establishment during this date and time and would become symptomatic with one or more of the following symptoms within 14 days of your time at the facility (between now and September 8th & 12th) you should go in and get tested.

The Vernon County Health Department will offer drive-through testing for COVID-19 in Hillsboro, at the Hillsboro Fireman’s Park, E18075 State Highway 33, on September 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Richland Countysaw an increase of nine cases, increasing to 61. The number of deaths in the county remained at four.

Monroe Countysaw an increase of 14 cases in the last week, going from 283 to 297. Negative tests increased by 303, and the number of deaths in the county remains at two.

On Thursday, Sept. 3, Monroe County Public Health issued a public notification regarding COVID-19 as they had not been able to identify all close contacts and members of the public that may have been exposed August 28th and August 29th from 3-10 p.m. at Evergreens Supper Club. Please note, unless you are contacted by the health department, there is no need to quarantine. While we would consider this a low risk exposures, if you were at the establishment during this date and time and would become symptomatic with one or more of the following symptoms within 14 days of your time at the facility (between now and August 19th), you should go in and get tested.

On Friday, Sept. 4, an additional public notification was issued: We are issuing a public notification regarding COVID-19 as we have not been able to identify all close contacts and members of the public that may have been exposed on August 30th from 1-4 p.m. at the Sparta American Legion.

Juneau Countysaw an increase in cases of 19, growing to 264. The number of deaths in the county remains at two.

At outbreak at the New Lisbon Correctional Institute contributed 41 of the Juneau County’s 48 newest cases.

The Wisconsin National Guard did facility-wide Covid-19 testing Thursday and Friday. The New Lisbon Correctional Institution, Juneau County Health Department, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and Wisconsin Department of Health Services are investigating the outbreak details and coordinating mitigation and containment strategies. 

LaCrosse Countyhas continued to see an exponential increase in new cases from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4 of 140, going from 1,186 to 1,326. There has been one additional death in the county, bring the total to two.

On September 2nd, 2020, La Crosse County Health Department was notified of an individual who passed away from complications of COVID-19. This is the second death of a county resident. The resident was a male in his 70’s who had been hospitalized. Our team would like to express our deepest condolences to family, friends, and those impacted by this loss of life. In order to protect the family’s privacy, we will not be releasing any additional information.

Grant Countyhas seen an increase of 65 cases in the last week, going from 435 to 500. The number of deaths in the county grew by two to 19.

Lafayette Countyhas seen an increase of two cases in the last week. There have been no deaths in the county.