COVID-19 Updates: St. Croix County Contact Tracing, Pierce County Vaccines, and School Cancellations in River Falls | News

There will be no school, in person or remotely, on Monday November 22 and Tuesday November 23 in the River Falls School District.

“Since the start of the school year, we have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases along with an increased staff shortage due to illnesses and a shortage of surrogates,” Superintendent Jamie Benson said in a letter to parents. He noted three main reasons for the cancellations:

1. Decrease the transmission rates of COVID-19

To create a 9-day window of opportunity, potentially decreasing the current rate of COVID-19 transmission. “In the first two weeks of November, we have as many COVID cases from students and staff as we have had throughout October,” Benson wrote in the letter. “The number of our communities is also very high. ”

2. Avoid staff shortages

“To avoid anticipated staff shortages and lack of replacement staff,” the letter said. “In the first two weeks of November, we had 31 unfilled teaching positions and 49 unfilled support staff positions due to mitigation measures for COVID and other illnesses. As we monitor trends and Expect early absences, there is a growing trajectory of concern about our ability to accommodate appropriate staff buildings in the near future.

3. Deep cleaning

Buses and facilities will be thoroughly cleaned during the two school cancellation days.

St. Croix County reported 597 positive cases of COVID-19 in the first seven days of November 2021. The county averages over 85 cases per day, a level we haven’t seen since last year . Due to the high volume of positive COVID-19 cases, St. Croix County Public Health may not be able to personally contact all people who test positive for COVID-19 by phone within 48 hours. St. Croix County Public Health will send automated alerts via text, phone and email to residents who have tested positive and have not been contacted by public health. These automated alerts will link to more information on what to do after testing positive for COVID-19.

Automated email alerts will only be sent from covid19@sccwi.gov. Automatic alerts by SMS or phone will only be sent from 715-246-8224

A member of our public health department may contact you using a different phone number than the one listed above. To avoid potential scams, please do not respond or click any links in messages asking for payment or financial information. Contact tracers and public health messages will NOT ask you for money or payment, Social Security, or your bank account information. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a message, please contact Public Health at the phone number or email listed above. You can find more information on what to do after testing positive on the St. Croix County website.

At the end of last week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced its support for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that children aged 5 to 11 receive the 2-dose pediatric version. Pfizer vaccine (1/3 of the adult vaccine dose).

Pierce County Public Health (PCPH) and local pediatricians support this recommendation.

Dr Amber Morgan, a pediatrician based in River Falls, says there are very good reasons parents should get the COVID-19 vaccine for their children.

“COVID-19 is among the top 10 causes of death in children in this age group. Now we have the option to remove COVID-19 from this list. The Pfizer vaccine is safe and very effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children, ”Morgan said. “I recommend the Pfizer vaccine to my patients, and I do this for my own children.”

About 8,300 children in this age group have been hospitalized with COVID-19 nationwide. About a third of children in this age group who were hospitalized with COVID-19 had no underlying health conditions.

The vaccine is recommended for children who have had a previous COVID-19 infection because natural immunity is highly variable and the risk of reinfection after natural infection is two to five times greater than the risk of reinfection with vaccines. . “

To help answer other questions that many parents have, PCPH has developed an FAQ document with some of the most common parenting concerns.

There are several options available locally for getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19:

• Contact your pediatrician, family doctor, or pharmacist about the Pfizer pediatric vaccine.

• Freeman Drug in River Falls will offer the Pfizer pediatric vaccine this month.

• Pierce County will offer the pediatric Pfizer on November 23 in Ellsworth. Appointments will be available starting Friday, November 12 on the Pierce County website and by phone at 715-273-6755.

• Other vaccination sites are listed at vaccinate.wi.gov/en-US.