BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Brown County, De Pere and Oneida Nation have issued a joint Public Health Emergency alert because of the high levels of COVID-19 cases in the area.
A Brown County public health strategist says she thinks the surge started around Labor Day.
While they have some help from the Department of Health Services with contact tracing, they’re still behind.
“Green Bay especially has been the new kind of epicenter or hotspot of COVID in the United States,” health strategist Claire Paprocki said.
Health officials say the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in our area is slowing their ability to notify people who have COVID-19, as well as the people who’ve been in contact with them.
Brown County hired a new group of contact tracers on Monday.
“Currently we have probably about a 72 hour turnaround time, usually closer to 48 hours,” Paprocki said. “So we’ve been successful thus far given our numbers and all of the new cases that are coming in.”
As the number of COVID-19 cases in Brown County goes up, so is the amount of time that it’s taking to call the people who have been infected.
“Depending on how many people are answering their phones, willing to share information,” Paprocki said. “You basically have to remember what you have done and everywhere you’ve been for the last two weeks, so that can be a challenge for folks as well,”
De Pere Public Health is looking to hire more workers too, as it gets backlogged.
“None of us can keep up, no matter how many contact tracers we have,” health officer Deborah Armbruster said.
“The sooner we can do all of the guidelines and recommendations, the sooner we can get back to quote unquote normal,” Paprocki said.
“Masking, hand washing, distancing… no mass gatherings,” Armbruster said.
If you do slip up, you can expect a call.
“Answer the phone, [even] if you don’t recognize the number,” Paprocki said. “The contact tracers are not here to judge you, we’re on your side, we’re just trying to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
DHS says in August, over 1,200 staff were involved in contact tracing efforts across Wisconsin.
Now, the state has about 175 staff notifying people and investigating the spread of disease.
In the wake of the recent surge, the department says it is recruiting and training an additional 100 contact tracers, with the goal of activating 300 staff this week.
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