COVID surge strains contact tracing capabilities

By Willie S. Morrissey Last updated Aug 3, 2022

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – The Omicron variant shows no signs of slowing down in western Wisconsin.

CDC data indicates that as of Jan. 17, Trempealeau County had more than 2,000 positive cases in the previous seven days, a 67% increase from the week before the most recent data collection.

The continued spike in cases is straining the capacity of the Trempealeau County Health Department.

“We are at a higher case rate than ever in two years of a pandemic,” Chief Health Officer Aron Newberry said. “We can’t come close to reaching all the positive cases.”

Due to the large increase, the Ministry of Health is developing more targeted contact tracing strategies.

“We prioritize the younger ones,” Newberry explained. “We’re doing it because the five-and-under age group, they can’t get vaccinated, and it’s certainly harder for them to walk away, so we just want to reach as many people as possible who are positive. ”

The story is much the same in Eau Claire County, but Communicable Diseases Division Manager Jackie Krumenauer says the health department focuses on different age groups.

“We give priority to those over 65 and under 26,” Krumenauer detailed. “We consider them either to be at the highest risk of developing complications or to be those who may be in day care centers or schools.”

Additionally, the Eau Claire and Trempealeau County Health Departments do not have enough staff to handle the influx.

To make matters worse, there is no clear idea when the case rate will drop.

“At this point, we don’t think we’re probably at our peak,” Krumenauer said. “We think that’s probably going to continue for a while.”

“I think you can count on the workforce disruptions that we’ve already started to see over the past two weeks and will continue into the next month,” Newberry added. “Then hopefully there will be recovery.”

To help both health departments, anyone who tests positive is asked to tell their close contacts themselves.

People who have been exposed to COVID-19 are urged to follow CDC quarantine guidelines.