APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – As the confirmed case count continues to tick upwards in the City of Appleton, local health officials aren’t sharing an overly optimistic view on the current trends for COVID-19.
“Well I wish I could say otherwise, but our case counts are going up,” Public Health Officer Kurt Eggebrecht tells the WTAQ Morning News with Matt and Earl.
Appleton now has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, as of the time this was written. And while that doesn’t seem like a lot – Eggebrecht says trying to track down everyone they’ve had contact with can be a race against the clock.
“It’s a timing issue and it’s full-court press when we do get a case,” Eggebrecht says, “It could be anywhere from 8 to 40 people that we’re trying to track down. And timing is of the essence, because if you don’t get to those people early, they could – without even knowing it – be spreading it in the community.”
The state’s Safer at Home order is intended to slow that spread. But many residents are getting impatient – and are still gathering in groups.
“We have to think like a virus. Understand that every risk that we take, every time we gather with new people, that’s an opportunity for the virus to transfer. Every time that happens, you have new cases. And every new case creates – through contact investigation – a whole lot of disruption for a new group of people,” Eggebrecht says, “The majority of people I know are stir-crazy staying at home, but by doing that, they’re contributing such an important part about not overwhelming our healthcare systems.”
State officials continually repeat that the key to reopening the state is flattening the curve of new infections. But Eggebrecht is cautious to say that the numbers are truly trending down.
“I gave that a pause because I wish I could say otherwise, but no I don’t. I really don’t…If you look at the population and you realize the limited number of people you’re testing – one has to assume there are many, many more positive cases in the community that have not yet been tested,” Eggebrecht says, “80% of people who get this don’t show signs of symptoms. They themselves don’t know they’re carrying the virus.”
That high percentage of unknown carriers is something Eggebrecht says makes it tough to determine where the numbers really stand – and makes contact tracing a more difficult task.
