- DHS Rescinds Prior Administration’s Termination of Temporary Protected Status Designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua Homeland Security
- U.S. to extend temporary legal status for over 300,000 immigrants that Trump sought to end CBS News
- U.S. to renew deportation relief for more than 300000 immigrants Reuters.com
- Biden administration extending temporary legal status for 300K immigrants Trump sought to end The Hill
- U.S. to extend temporary legal status Trump sought to end for certain immigrants Yahoo News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: DHS
CBP head Chris Magnus has resigned, following standoff with DHS Secretary Mayorkas
The White House said President Biden accepted Magnus’s resignation and appreciates his “nearly forty years of service and the contributions he made to police reform during his tenure as police chief in three U.S. cities.”
In a statement to The Washington Post, Magnus said the decision “provides me with the best path for advancing my commitment to professional, innovative, and community-engaged policing.”
The White House also published a copy of a letter from Magnus thanking Biden for his opportunity to serve “over the past year.” But Magnus lasted just 11 months in the job. He was confirmed by the Senate last December in a vote largely along party lines.
His short tenure is a blow to the Biden administration as it struggles to balance migration pressures at the southern border with calls from Democrats for meaningful changes at CBP, and especially the Border Patrol.
During the Trump administration, the Border Patrol had the enthusiastic support of the president but was accused by immigrant advocates of abusing its authority and turning a blind eye to racism and sexism among its ranks.
The labor union that represents Border Patrol agents cheered Donald Trump’s more restrictive immigration policies, and became harshly critical of Biden after he began to rescind them.
Magnus, 62, was picked to lead the country’s largest law enforcement agency after building a reputation as a leading law enforcement reformer during tenures as police chief in Fargo, N.D., Richmond, Calif. and Tucson. He was CBP’s first openly gay commissioner.
Yet Magnus’s ambitions to overhaul CBP put him at odds with Mayorkas and senior CBP leaders struggling to contend with record numbers of migrant arrests along the Mexico border.
Magnus said he sought to make changes to policies governing high-speed vehicle pursuits, staff overtime practices as well as CBP officer inspections of travelers’ cellphones at border crossings, among other reform ideas. Those efforts were stymied, he said.
“I didn’t take this job as a resume builder. I came to Washington, D.C. — moved my family here — because I care about this agency, its mission, and the goals of this Administration,” Magnus said while defying attempts to oust him.
Magnus said Mayorkas was more attuned to the needs of career officials coping with the strains at the border, and did not support his reform ideas.
According to Magnus, tensions peaked Wednesday after Magnus traveled to El Paso to attend a meeting of the Border Patrol sector chiefs. Mayorkas had asked him not to go. Magnus said Mayorkas then asked for his resignation during a videoconference, telling Magnus that he and CBP staff had lost confidence in him and that Magnus had disobeyed him by traveling to El Paso.
Deputy CBP commissioner Troy Miller will serve as the agency’s acting leader, Mayorkas said in an email sent to CBP staff late Saturday. Miller ran CBP as its interim leader during much of 2021.
Maria Sacchetti contributed to this report.
Top lawmakers renew call for DHS IG to step aside from investigation into missing texts, citing CNN reporting
House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson reiterated their call for Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to step aside in a letter on Monday, citing concerns about “your lack of transparency and independence, which appear to be jeopardizing the integrity of a crucial investigation run by your office.”
Maloney and Thompson also are demanding transcribed interviews with key DHS IG staffers. CNN first reported that DHS inspector general investigators dropped efforts to recover missing Secret Service text messages in July 2021, a year before Cuffari raised concerns about Secret Service and DHS transparency to congressional oversight committees.
“The Committees have obtained new evidence that your office may have secretly abandoned efforts to collect text messages from the Secret Service more than a year ago,” the letter said. “These documents also indicate that your office may have taken steps to cover up the extent of missing records, raising further concerns about your ability to independently and effectively perform your duties as Inspector General (IG).”
The committees are requesting a slate of communications and documents by Monday, ranging from correspondence related to any decisions not to collect or recover text messages to communications related to notifying Congress.
Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, on Monday reiterated his call for the Justice Department to investigate the missing text messages.
“This is about the destruction of critical evidence, whether it’s material to the January 6 episode or not. The fact that this man, Joseph Cuffari, as inspector general, could not get the information that should have been transferred from administration to the other and didn’t report it properly to Congress or to the agency that he’s working at, we may have jeopardized some very critical evidence when it comes to the historic record on January 6 and he treated it as almost a routine event rather than something that should have been highlighted,” Durbin told CNN’s Don Lemon.
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General said it “does not discuss ongoing administrative reviews and does not confirm the existence of, or otherwise comment about criminal investigations.”
Watchdog defends himself
However, in an internal email to employees obtained by the Project on Government Oversight and shared with CNN, Cuffari defended himself and commended them for their work amid an “onslaught of meritless criticism.”
“In the past couple of weeks, DHS OIG has been the subject of a tremendous amount of public speculation,” Cuffari told staff in an email obtained by the Project on Government Oversight and shared with CNN.
“Because of US Attorney General guidelines and quality standards, we cannot always publicly respond to untruths and false information about our work,” he wrote. “I am so proud of the resilience I have witnessed in the face of this onslaught of meritless criticism.”
The email, sent at 2:28 p.m. Monday, arrived shortly before key House Democrats accused Cuffari’s office of manipulating and omitting information about its investigation into missing Secret Service and top DHS officials’ text messages.
The letter shows a DHS deputy inspector general, Thomas Kait, wrote an email to a DHS senior liaison, Jim Crumpacker, on July 27, 2021, advising DHS investigators were no longer seeking text messages. Kait is one of the staffers the committee wants to interview now.
“Jim, please use this email as a reference to our conversation where I said we no longer request phone records and text messages from the USSS [United States Secret Service] relating to the events on January 6th,” the email said, according to the letter.
The letter also confirms CNN reporting that the probe into text messages was reopened in December 2021.
Lawmakers said in Monday’s letter that Kait also removed “key language” from a February memo to DHS underscoring the significance of text messages to the inspector general’s investigation. The original memo mentioned that most DHS components had not provided requested information and noted text message content is a “critical source of information for the DHS OIG review,” but the final version stated the opposite, saying that they had received responses, according to the letter.
“These documents raise troubling new concerns that your office not only failed to notify Congress for more than a year that critical evidence in this investigation was missing, but your senior staff deliberately chose not to pursue that evidence and then appear to have taken steps to cover up these failures,” the letter states.
It goes on to cite missing text messages for the two top Homeland Security officials under former President Donald Trump — acting Secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli. Information obtained by the committee revealed that the inspector general’s office was aware in February that those messages couldn’t be accessed but didn’t notify Congress. CNN has reached out to Cuccinelli for comment.
Latest twist in saga
Monday’s letter is yet another twist in the ongoing saga over missing messages around January 6. Memos obtained by CNN indicate that the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly reminded the workforce to comply with the inspector general and relevant Hill committees.
After the Office of Inspector General raised concerns to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about compliance with requests, the secretary issued a September 2021 memo to the workforce saying that employees should cooperate with interviews and provide information.
“The Department is committed to supporting the OIG’s mission. DHS employees are expected to cooperate with OIG audits, inspections, investigations, and other inquiries. Any effort to conceal information or obstruct the OIG in carrying out its critical work is against Department directives and can lead to serious consequences,” the memo says.
Then, in October 2021, DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer issued a memo specific to January 6, 2021, and saying the office was cooperating with the House select committee investigating the Capitol Hill insurrection.
“I am therefore directing the Department and its Components to respond to any Select Committee requests it receives expeditiously and thoroughly,” that memo states. “Such cooperation and transparency are vital to the Department’s obligation to safeguard our Nation and its foundational democratic principles.”
DHS inspector general tells Secret Service to stop investigating potentially missing texts
The inspector general wrote that the Secret Service should stop investigating the matter because it could interfere with the inspector general’s own investigation into what happened to the agency’s text messages.
The letter adds to the growing tension between the Secret Service and the DHS inspector general over the potentially missing text messages, which are being sought by the House select committee as part of its investigation into former President Donald Trump’s actions and movements on January 6, 2021.
“To ensure the integrity of our investigation, the USSS must not engage in any further investigative activities regarding the collection and preservation of the evidence referenced above,” DHS deputy inspector general Gladys Ayala wrote in a letter to Secret Service Director James Murray on Wednesday evening. “This includes immediately refraining from interviewing potential witnesses, collecting devices or taking any other action that would interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The inspector general wrote that the Secret Service should explain what interviews had already been conducted related to the text messages, along with the “scope off the questioning, and what, if any, warnings were given to the witness(es).” The inspector general told the Secret Service to respond by Monday.
The new letter comes after the Secret Service was only able to provide a single text message to the inspector general, who had requested a month’s worth of records for 24 Secret Service personnel, according to a letter to the select committee.
CNN has reached out for comment to the Secret Service and the DHS inspector general.
The directive could complicate the Secret Service’s response to a subpoena it received from the House select committee last week, as well as a request from the National Archives this week to the DHS records officer asking the agency to clear up if the text messages were deleted and explain why.
The select committee’s chairman, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, wrote in a letter to the Secret Service director that the panel was seeking text messages from January 5-6, 2021.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Thompson and committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney said they “have concerns” about how the Secret Service cell phone data was deleted.
“The procedure for preserving content prior to this purge appears to have been contrary to federal records retention requirements and may represent a possible violation of the Federal Records Act,” they said.
The Secret Service told the committee this week that it was engaged in “extensive efforts” to determine whether any text messages had been lost and if they were recoverable. Those steps included “the pulling of any available metadata to determine what, if any, texts were sent or received on the devices of the identified individuals,” the agency said in a letter, as well as interviewing the 24 individuals “to determine if messages were stored in locations that were not already searched by the Secret Service.”
The inspector general has alleged that the Secret Service erased text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021, not long after they had been requested by oversight officials investigating the Secret Service’s response to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a letter that the inspector general sent to the House select committee.
The Secret Service has previously explained that it was up to employees to conduct the necessary preservation of records from their phones. The letter said the service did provide personnel a “step-by-step” guide to preserve mobile phone content, including text messages, prior to the phone migration that began January 27, 2021. It went on to explain that “all Secret Service employees are responsible for appropriately preserving government records that may be created via text messaging.”
DHS: Wastewater shows COVID increase, but significance not yet certain
Concentrations of the virus responsible for COVID-19 in wastewater in some Wisconsin cities have been increasing, state health officials confirmed Tuesday, but the significance of that development isn’t clear.
Wastewater virus testing “has been shown to be a leading indicator of cases,” according Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services (DHS), “but more data is needed before we can confirm indications of rising trends.”
About 40% of Wisconsin residents live in areas of the state where wastewater is monitored for changes in the concentration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater samples.
Data collected through Wednesday, March 9, has shown increases in the virus concentration in Milwaukee, Green Bay and some smaller communities. DHS has a web page that reports the wastewater virus results from participating wastewater treatment plants around the state.
“These SARS-CoV-2 concentrations are still low, and in a range where there is greater uncertainty in detecting trends,” Goodsitt stated. “However, upward trends identified in larger cities are suggestive of increased community transmission.”
In many other parts of the state, the virus concentration has been declining, the DHS web page indicates.
DHS officials are looking to the wastewater data to provide advance warning of potential new surges in COVID-19 cases around the state.
Wisconsin Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Wisconsin Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Ruth Conniff for questions: info@wisconsinexaminer.com. Follow Wisconsin Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
Related
Cases back up, deaths down
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – Coronavirus cases in Wisconsin edged back up Friday as the Department of Health Services issued its third and final COVID-19 report for the week. The DHS reported Thursday it was working through a backlog of records and didn’t release reports Monday or Tuesday after a database upgrade and maintenance to the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System last weekend.
CASES
Friday’s report shows 5,664 new COVID-19 virus cases diagnosed in the latest test results. The 7-day average is up to 3,183 cases per day, up from 3,024 yesterday. Dodge County topped 17,000 cases. Menominee County passed 1,000 cases.
The positivity rate is back over 11%, after dropping below that mark yesterday for the first time in a week. The DHS calculates 11.6% of all tests in the last 7 days was positive for COVID-19.
DEATHS
Nine counties in WBAY’s viewing area had almost one-third of the COVID-19 deaths reported to the state Friday: Brown (1), Calumet (2), Door (1), Fond du Lac (3), Forest (1), Marinette (1), Oconto (1), Outagamie (1), Sheboygan (1) and Winnebago (3). County case and death totals are updated later in this article.
The statewide death toll is up 46 from a day ago, but the DHS says fewer than half of those were in the past 30 days. The 21 recent deaths helped nudged the 7-day average down from 23 to 21 per day. A total 9,344 people have died during the pandemic, which is more than 1 out of 100 cases (1.03%).
HOSPITALIZATIONS
Another 212 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the past 24-hour period. A total 48,033 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment since the pandemic began, or 1 in 20 cases.
The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) releases daily numbers taking discharges and deaths into account. Friday showed a net increase of 27 patients in hospitals, up to 1,634, the most COVID-19 patients at one time in over a year, since December 4, 2020. There are 436 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units, an increase of 8, the most since November 25, 2020.
The Northeast health care region hospitals have 158 of the patients, up 4 from Thursday, with 33 in ICU, down 2. Combined, the 10 hospitals reported 2 ICU beds immediately available out of 207, no intermediate care beds, and 30 of 462 medical surgical beds.
Fox Valley hospitals have 141 patients, the same as yesterday, with 21 in ICU, which is two more than yesterday. The 13 hospitals report no ICU or intermediate care beds available and 2 of 450 medical surgical beds among them.
VIRUS ACTIVITY
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) says COVID-19 numbers declined in more counties this week but the spread of the virus remains “very high” in most of the state.
The weekly update from the DHS says virus activity is still “critically high” in 19 counties, “very high” in 52, and “high” in 1 county. There are no counties where the spread is moderate or low. A week ago, it was critically high in 26 counties and very high in the remaining 46. Menominee is the one county that saw improvement to have “high” spread of the disease instead of very high. The counties we’re tracking in WBAY’s viewing area:
- Critically High: Brown, Forest, Kewaunee, Outagamie, Winnebago
- Very High: Calumet, Dodge, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara
- High: Menominee
The state says virus activity increased in almost 20 counties over the past two weeks. The rest saw no significant change. No counties saw virus activity shrink over the last two weeks.
VACCINATIONS
Monday marks one year since the first vaccinations in Wisconsin. The state is nearing a total 8 million doses (7,958,447) of COVID-19 vaccines administered. This includes more than 1.25 million booster shots (1,250,722). Thursday, 16- and 17-year-olds became eligible for boosters.
The Department of Health Services says 59.3% of the state’s population received at least one dose of vaccine, including 56.3% of the population that completed their vaccinations.
The DHS website still doesn’t report vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds, who became eligible for kid-sized doses of Pfizer vaccine more than 4 weeks ago. With three weeks between shots, some have already completed their vaccination series.
FRIDAY’S VACCINATIONS BY AGE GROUP (and change since last report)
- 12 to 15: 50.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/47.1% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 16 and 17: 54.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/51.2% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
- 18 to 24: 55.3% received vaccine (+0.1)/50.6% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
- 25 to 34: 60.1% received vaccine (+0.1)/55.9% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 35 to 44: 67.0% received vaccine (+0.0)/63.5% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 45 to 54: 67.6% received vaccine (+0.1)/64.7% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 55 to 64: 75.9% received vaccine (+0.1)/73.2% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
- 65 and up: 87.7% received vaccine (+0.1)/84.5% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
To find free COVID-19 vaccination sites near you, text your ZIP Code to 438829.
FRIDAY’S VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (and change since last report)
| County (Population) (Health region) |
% of population with at least 1 dose |
% of population completed series |
|---|---|---|
| Brown (264,542) (NE) | 60.3% | 57.8% |
| Calumet (50,089) (FV) | 53.1% | 51.1% |
| Dodge (87,839) | 48.8% (+0.1) | 46.6% (+0.1) |
| Door (27,668) (NE) | 75.1% (+0.1) | 71.1% (+0.1) |
| Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE) | 51.9% (+0.1) | 49.6% (+0.1) |
| Forest (9,004) | 49.6% (+0.1) | 47.0% (+0.1) |
| Florence (4,295) (NE) | 48.9% (+0.2) | 46.9% (+0.2) |
| Green Lake (18,913) (FV) | 53.9% | 51.4% |
| Kewaunee (20,434) (NE) | 49.4% | 47.9% |
| Langlade (19,189) | 51.5% (+0.1) | 49.0% (+0.1) |
| Manitowoc (78,981) (NE) | 56.6% | 54.3% (+0.1) |
| Marinette (40,350) (NE) | 50.1% | 47.6% (-0.1) |
| Menominee (4,556) (FV) | 71.6% (-0.1) | 69.2% (-0.1) |
| Oconto (37,930) (NE) | 50.4% (+0.3) | 48.5% (+0.3) |
| Outagamie (187,885) (FV) | 59.4% (-0.1) | 57.0% (-0.1) |
| Shawano (40,899) (FV) | 45.0% | 43.1% (+0.1) |
| Sheboygan (115,340) (SE) | 58.1% (+0.1) | 55.6% (+0.1) |
| Waupaca (50,990) (FV) | 52.2% (+0.1) | 49.9% |
| Waushara (24,443) (FV) | 43.3% | 41.4% |
| Winnebago (171,907) (FV) | 57.5% | 54.9% |
| NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE) | 276,539 (58.3%) | 264,798 (55.8%) |
| FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV) | 306,304 (55.7%) | 293,185 (53.3%, -0.1) |
| WISCONSIN (5,822,434) | 3,454,773 (59.3%) | 3,283,011 (56.4%, +0.1) |
FRIDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (boldface indicates change in cases or deaths since the last report) **
- Brown – 46,615 cases (+363) (286 deaths) (+1)
- Calumet – 8,279 cases (+57) (67 deaths) (+2)
- Dickinson (Mich.)* – 3,522 cases (+26) (72 deaths) (+1)
- Dodge – 17,071 cases (+157) (213 deaths)
- Door – 4,080 cases (+21) (36 deaths) (+1)
- Florence – 601 cases (cases revised -1 by state) (14 deaths)
- Fond du Lac – 19,302 cases (+155) (166 deaths) (+3)
- Forest – 1,675 cases (+13) (31 deaths) (+1)
- Gogebic (Mich.)* – 1,788 cases (+20) (29 deaths) (+1)
- Green Lake – 2,863 cases (+22) (35 deaths)
- Iron (Mich.)* – 1,604 cases (+12) (57 deaths)
- Kewaunee – 3,406 cases (+13) (35 deaths)
- Langlade – 3,420 cases (+9) (45 deaths)
- Manitowoc – 11,757 cases (+75) (102 deaths)
- Marinette – 7,020 6,989 cases (+31) (76 deaths) (+1)
- Menominee (Mich.)* – 2,959 cases (+23) (50 deaths)
- Menominee – 1,002 cases (+5) (11 deaths)
- Oconto – 6,767 cases (+29) (67 deaths) (+1)
- Outagamie – 29,464 cases (+200) (266 deaths) (+1)
- Shawano – 6,920 cases (+45) (84 deaths)
- Sheboygan – 19,828 cases (+136) (179 deaths) (+1)
- Waupaca – 7,985 cases (+43) (156 deaths)
- Waushara – 3,435 cases (+12) (54 deaths)
- Winnebago – 27,471 cases (+113) (263 deaths) (+3)
* You can find cases and deaths for all 72 Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association publishes updates Mondays through Fridays. Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.
Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.
50% of 18-24-year-olds reported to have completed vaccine series
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – Tuesday’s report from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) says the state is averaging 3,148 new cases per day during the past seven days, up from Monday’s average of 3,120 cases per day. Test results confirmed 4,264 new cases. The positivity rate continues to be more than 11% and is above that percentage for the fifth straight day, at 11.3%.
VACCINATIONS
The agency says 50% of all 18-24-year-old’s have completed the two-dose series. They are the seventh age group to do so. The DHS says 50.6% of 16 and 17-year-olds in Wisconsin completed the series. You can find percentages for vaccinated age groups further below in this article.
In another milestone, Oconto County is the latest county to see 50.0% of the county’s population to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Tuesday’s report from the DHS. County-by-county vaccine rates are listed further below in the article, as always.
Last Friday, the DHS added booster shots to the total number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered. That figure is now at 7,544,704 doses of vaccines – and includes 915,428 booster shots. (As we reported last Thursday, the DHS resumed publishing vaccination numbers after working out a problem with reports from Walgreens.)
Pfizer continues to be the leading vaccine in Wisconsin for both initial vaccinations and boosters:
- Pfizer: 4,328,823 doses administered/549,364 booster doses
- Moderna: 2,917,058 doses administered/356,554 booster doses
- Johnson & Johnson: 298,823 doses administered/9,510 booster doses
These shots went into the arms of Wisconsinites and out-of-state residents, such as people who work here from across state lines. Looking just at Wisconsin residents, the DHS says 70.1% of adults have now received at least one dose of vaccine. That figure increased by one-tenth of a percent from Monday and Friday’s percentage.
The state says 58.7% of the state’s population received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine – a figure that is unchanged from Monday. That’s 3,419,988 people, and 70.1% of adults, getting a shot.
Out of those numbers, 55.9% of Wisconsin residents completed their vaccine series, getting either one dose of Johnson & Johnson or two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. That’s 3,254,066 people, including 66.8% of adults.
The DHS still hasn’t published how many children ages 5 to 11 received the kid-sized shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The state health department has previously said it plans to add that information to its dashboard soon, but an exact timeline has yet to be given.
The Wisconsin DHS announced everyone 18 and older can receive a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine last week, even if they have no underlying health problems. There are only two conditions: They must have received a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and that must have been at least six months ago. The announcement follows FDA and CDC recommendations that received final approval earlier that day. Booster shots are especially recommended for people 50 and older, because older adults have a higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19.
VACCINATIONS BY AGE GROUP (TUESDAY)
- 12 to 15: 49.6% received vaccine/46.2% completed vaccinations
- 16 and 17: 53.8% received vaccine/50.6% completed vaccinations
- 18 to 24: 54.3% received vaccine/50.0% completed vaccinations
- 25 to 34: 59.1% received vaccine/55.1% completed vaccinations
- 35 to 44: 66.2% received vaccine/62.8% completed vaccinations
- 45 to 54: 66.9% received vaccine/64.0% completed vaccinations
- 55 to 64: 75.3% received vaccine/72.7% completed vaccinations
- 65 and up: 87.3% received vaccine/84.2% completed vaccinations
The DHS says another 188 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 during the past 24 hours, dropping the 7-day average to 143 per day by our calculations. As of Tuesday, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) says there are 1,250 people with COVID-19 hospitalized, and 321 in intensive care. Taking discharges and deaths into account, that means there are 21 more patients in hospitals Tuesday than Monday, and 23 fewer in the ICU.
The WHA also reported Northeast health care region hospitals have 157 patients, with 44 in ICU; that’s the same number in intensive care as Monday, but 16 fewer overall. It adds Fox Valley hospitals have 108 COVID-19 patients, 16 of them in ICU; that’s 1 fewer in ICU and 4 more patients overall.
39 new deaths were added to Wisconsin’s cumulative COVID-19′s death toll, but despite the jump in deaths, the state says Wisconsin’s 7-day average remains at 16 deaths per day. So far, the state says a total of 8,900 people have died from causes related to the coronavirus. Case and death totals for counties in WBAY’s viewing area is always listed at the end of our daily reports. Our records show the state is averaging 17 new deaths per day. If that average holds steady, the state could hit 9,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of the month.
VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (TUESDAY)
| County (Population) (Health region) |
% of population with at least 1 dose |
% of population completed series |
|---|---|---|
| Brown (264,542) (NE) | 59.7% | 57.2% |
| Calumet (50,089) (FV) | 52.9% | 50.9% |
| Dodge (87,839) | 48.2% | 46.1% |
| Door (27,668) (NE) | 74.6% | 70.8% |
| Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE) | 51.5% | 49.1% |
| Forest (9,004) | 48.9% | 46.6% |
| Florence (4,295) (NE) | 48.7% | 46.7% |
| Green Lake (18,913) (FV) | 53.2% | 50.8% |
| Kewaunee (20,434) (NE) | 48.6% | 47.1% |
| Langlade (19,189) | 50.7% | 48.4% |
| Manitowoc (78,981) (NE) | 56.0% | 53.7% |
| Marinette (40,350) (NE) | 49.4% | 47.0% |
| Menominee (4,556) (FV) | 71.1% | 68.8% |
| Oconto (37,930) (NE) | 50.0% | 48.1% |
| Outagamie (187,885) (FV) | 58.9% | 56.5% |
| Shawano (40,899) (FV) | 44.4% | 42.6% |
| Sheboygan (115,340) (SE) | 57.5% | 54.8% |
| Waupaca (50,990) (FV) | 51.6% | 49.4% |
| Waushara (24,443) (FV) | 42.8% | 41.0% |
| Winnebago (171,907) (FV) | 57.0% | 54.5% |
| NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE) | 273,571 (57.7%) | 262,277 (55.3%) |
| FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV) | 303,479 (55.2%) | 290,707 (52.9%) |
| WISCONSIN (5,822,434) | 3,419,988 (58.7%) | 3,254,066 (55.9%) |
COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICS
The community vaccination clinic inside Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. on select dates through December 15. The list of dates will be updated on the Outagamie County website. No appointment is necessary for this walk-in clinic, which is located near the food court and Scheel’s. There’s no cost and no ID required.
Oconto County Public Health plans several booster dose vaccine clinics in November. The booster is available to anyone 18 or older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and meet certain eligibility requirements: 65 years or older, or adults who work or live in high-risk settings, live in long-term care settings, or have underlying medical conditions. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (920) 834-6846. The appointment line is available weekdays from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. until all appointments are filled. Don’t leave a message; call again.
Bellin Health is offering “mix-and-match” COVID-19 vaccine boosters at its Ashwaubenon community vaccination site, the Green Bay Fastlane drive-thru testing site and all primary care clinics and FastCare locations. According to Bellin, it’s offering the mix-and-match option to eligible patients at all vaccination sites. Eligible Bellin patients and the general public may schedule a booster, initial or second COVID-19 vaccine dose through a MyBellinHealth account or by calling 920-445-7313.
COVID-19 TESTING SITES
The City of Appleton expanded its testing and vaccination clinics at the old Best Buy building, 2411 S. Kensington Dr. The site offers walk-in testing Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Walk-in vaccination clinics are on Thursdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Fridays from 7 A.M. to 12 P.M. Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s encouraged to speed up the process.
Walk-in or drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at Sunnyview Expo Center weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., with the Wisconsin National Guard handling the testing. Registration is encouraged at www.winnebagopublichealth.org. Testing is recommended (and free) for anyone as young as 1 year old who’s been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19, which can include fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle ache, or sudden loss of taste or smell. Results are usually back within 48 hours.
TUESDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (increases in cases or deaths since the last report are in bold) **
- Brown – 43,613 cases (+303) (279 deaths)
- Calumet – 7,851 cases (+30) (61 deaths)
- Dickinson (Mich.)* – 3,287 cases (68 deaths)
- Dodge – 16,054 cases (+54) (209 deaths)
- Door – 3,828 cases (+16) (34 deaths)
- Florence – 571 cases (14 deaths)
- Fond du Lac – 18,166 cases (+31) (157 deaths) (+3)
- Forest – 1,521 cases (+11) (29 deaths)
- Gogebic (Mich.)* – 1,598 cases (27 deaths)
- Green Lake – 2,693 cases (+16) (29 deaths)
- Iron (Mich.)* – 1,485 cases (51 deaths)
- Kewaunee – 3,190 cases (+28) (34 deaths)
- Langlade – 3,264 cases (+9) (43 deaths)
- Manitowoc – 11,108 cases (+86) (90 deaths)
- Marinette – 6,616 cases (+69) (72 deaths)
- Menominee (Mich.)* – 2,791 cases (47 deaths)
- Menominee – 979 cases (11 deaths)
- Oconto – 6,396 cases (+17) (66 deaths)
- Outagamie – 27,672 cases (+139) (254 deaths) (+1)
- Shawano – 6,534 cases (+65) (79 deaths)
- Sheboygan – 18,578 cases (+165) (177 deaths) (+1)
- Waupaca – 7,356 cases (+32) (145 deaths)
- Waushara – 3,264 cases (+16) (50 deaths)
- Winnebago – 25,479 cases (+67) (255 deaths) (+5)
* You can find cases and deaths for all 72 Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association publishes updates Mondays through Fridays. Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.
Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.
Case average back over 2,000
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – Wisconsin’s 7-day average for new coronavirus cases is back over 2,000, erasing progress made against the COVID-19 virus since October 18.
The Department of Health Services (DHS) says tests identified 2,634 new cases in the past day, bringing the rolling average to 2,075 cases per day, up from 1,996. Wisconsin now has a total 804,872 confirmed infections since the pandemic reached Wisconsin. The state topped 800,000 cases Thursday. Dodge County passed 15,000 cases and Outagamie County passed 26,000.
The positivity rate — the percentage of all tests that come back positive for the virus — rose to a 7-day average of 8.6%, its highest level since October 13.
Wisconsin is averaging 13 COVID-19 deaths per day, up from 11 on Thursday and 8 on Wednesday. The DHS says 17 more deaths were just reported to the state, but 7 of them happened more than 30 days ago, so they aren’t counted towards the 7-day average. Manitowoc and Outagamie counties each reported 3 deaths; Brown and Langlade counties each reported 1. The death toll is now 8,597, or 1.07% of all cases.
For the second time in three weeks, fewer than 100 hospitalizations were reported in a 24-hour period. DHS numbers show 96 more COVID-19 admissions, bringing our calculated 7-day average down to 105 hospitalizations per day over the last week. A total 43,114 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, or about 1 in 19 cases. In its last update of the week, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) reported 947 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, including 252 in intensive care — that’s 20 more patients since Thursday after taking discharges and deaths into account, but 12 fewer in intensive care. The Northeast health care region hospitals have 126 of those patients, 32 in ICU — 4 fewer in ICU and 10 fewer overall than the day before. The Fox Valley health care region was treating 77 patients, including 7 in ICU — 4 fewer in ICU but no change in the number of patients overall.
VACCINATIONS
The DHS revised the number (and thus the percentage) of Wisconsinites completing their COVID-19 vaccine series. We don’t know if this is related to technical issues the state experienced with updating data over the past two weeks, but the total number of completed vaccinations went down by 3,337, or 0.1% statewide. Five counties in our area saw their completed-vaccination numbers revised downward: Calumet, Fond du Lac, Marinette, Waupaca and Winnebago. Winnebago County saw the sharpest change, -0.2%.
The number of new vaccinations continued to increase — and that doesn’t include the 5-to-11 age group that just began receiving kid-sized doses of a COVID-19 vaccine this week (see related story for details); the state hasn’t begun to report numbers for that age group, but we expect to see numbers next week.
Wisconsinites getting COVID-19 vaccine, by age group (Thursday) (and change since last report)
- 12-15: 48.6% received vaccine (+0.1)/45.2% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 16-17: 53.2% received vaccine (+0.1)/49.9% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
- 18-24: 53.4% received vaccine (+0.1)/49.0% fully vaccinated (-0.1)
- 25-34: 58.1% received vaccine (+0.1)/54.0% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
- 35-44: 65.3% received vaccine (+0.0)/61.8% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
- 45-54: 66.2% received vaccine (+0.0)/63.2% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
- 55-64: 74.6% received vaccine (+0.0)/71.9% fully vaccinated (-0.1)
- 65 and up: 86.8% received vaccine (+0.1)/83.7% fully vaccinated (-0.2)
The state health department says 58.1% of Wisconsin’s population received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or 3,380,531 people. That includes 69.3% of adults.
After the revision, 55.1% of the state population, including 65.9% of adults, completed the vaccination series, with both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (FRIDAY)
| County (Population) (Health region) | % of population (change from previous report) | Completed % of population (change from previous report) |
|---|---|---|
| Brown (264,542) (NE) | 59.0% (+0.1) | 56.6% (+0.0) |
| Calumet (50,089) (FV) | 52.4% (+0.0) | 50.2% (-0.1) |
| Dodge (87,839) | 47.6% (+0.0) | 45.4% (+0.0) |
| Door (27,668) (NE) | 73.6% (+0.1) | 70.2% (+0.1) |
| Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE) | 50.9% (+0.0) | 48.5% (-0.1) |
| Forest (9,004) | 48.4% (+0.1) | 46.2% (+0.1) |
| Florence (4,295) (NE) | 48.2% (+0.1) | 46.2% (+0.1) |
| Green Lake (18,913) (FV) | 52.5% (+0.0) | 50.0% (+0.0) |
| Kewaunee (20,434) (NE) | 48.1% (+0.1) | 46.3% (+0.0) |
| Langlade (19,189) | 49.9% (+0.0) | 47.5% (+0.1) |
| Manitowoc (78,981) (NE) | 55.2% (+0.0) | 53.0% (+0.0) |
| Marinette (40,350) (NE) | 48.9% (+0.1) | 46.3% (-0.1) |
| Menominee (4,556) (FV) | 70.5% (+0.2) | 68.3% (+0.1) |
| Oconto (37,930) (NE) | 49.4% (+0.0) | 47.5% (+0.0) |
| Outagamie (187,885) (FV) | 58.4% (+0.1) | 55.8% (+0.0) |
| Shawano (40,899) (FV) | 43.9% (+0.1) | 42.0% (+0.0) |
| Sheboygan (115,340) (SE) | 56.6% (+0.0) | 54.1% (+0.0) |
| Waupaca (50,990) (FV) | 51.1% (+0.0) | 48.6% (-0.1) |
| Waushara (24,443) (FV) | 42.2% (+0.0) | 40.3% (+0.1) |
| Winnebago (171,907) (FV) | 56.4% (+0.1) | 53.6% (-0.2) |
| NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE) | 270,413 (57.0%) (+0.0) | 259,095 (54.6%) (-0.1) |
| FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV) | 300,226 (54.6%) (+0.0) | 286,562 (52.1%) (-0.1) |
| WISCONSIN (5,822,434) | 3,380,531 (58.1%) (+0.1) | 3,210,654 (55.1%) (-0.1) |
Oconto County Public Health plans several booster dose vaccine clinics in November. The booster is available to anyone 18 or older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or people who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and meet certain eligibility requirements: 65 years or older, or adults who work or live in high-risk settings, live in long-term care settings, or have underlying medical conditions. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (920) 834-6846. The appointment line is available weekdays from 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. until all appointments are filled. Don’t leave a message; call again.
Bellin Health is offering “mix-and-match” COVID-19 vaccine boosters at its Ashwaubenon community vaccination site, the Green Bay Fastlane drive-thru testing site and all primary care clinics and FastCare locations. According to Bellin, it’s offering the mix-and-match option to eligible patients at all vaccination sites. Eligible Bellin patients and the general public may schedule a booster, initial or second COVID-19 vaccine dose through a MyBellinHealth account or by calling 920-445-7313.
The community vaccination clinic inside Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. on select dates through December 15. The list of dates will be updated on the Outagamie County website. No appointment is necessary for this walk-in clinic, which is located near the food court and Scheel’s. There’s no cost and no ID required.
COVID-19 TESTING SITES
The City of Appleton expanded its testing and vaccination clinics at the old Best Buy building, 2411 S. Kensington Dr. The site offers walk-in testing Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Walk-in vaccination clinics are on Thursdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Fridays from 7 A.M. to 12 P.M. Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s encouraged to speed up the process.
Walk-in or drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at Sunnyview Expo Center weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., with the Wisconsin National Guard handling the testing. Registration is encouraged at www.winnebagopublichealth.org. Testing is recommended (and free) for anyone as young as 1 year old who’s been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19, which can include fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle ache, or sudden loss of taste or smell. Results are usually back within 48 hours.
FRIDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (increases in cases or deaths since the last report are in bold) **
- Brown – 41,103 cases (+98) (273 deaths) (+1)
- Calumet – 7,382 cases (+21) (55 deaths)
- Dickinson (Mich.)* – 3,134 cases (+15) (67 deaths)
- Dodge – 15,015 cases (+68) (200 deaths)
- Door – 3,619 cases (+10) (34 deaths)
- Florence – 548 cases (+2) (14 deaths)
- Fond du Lac – 17,133 cases (+95) (153 deaths)
- Forest – 1,435 cases (+2) (28 deaths)
- Gogebic (Mich.)* – 1,453 cases (+7) (25 deaths)
- Green Lake – 2,539 cases (+8) (27 deaths)
- Iron (Mich.)* – 1,357 cases (+8) (47 deaths)
- Kewaunee – 3,034 cases (+12) (32 deaths)
- Langlade – 3,057 cases (+14) (41 deaths) (+1)
- Manitowoc – 10,267 cases (+29) (88 deaths) (+3)
- Marinette – 6,069 cases (+36) (72 deaths)
- Menominee (Mich.)* – 2,625 cases (+13) (46 deaths)
- Menominee – 955 cases (+1) (11 deaths)
- Oconto – 6,130 cases (+14) (66 deaths)
- Outagamie – 26,038 cases (+73) (249 deaths)
- Shawano – 6,215 cases (+34) (78 deaths)
- Sheboygan – 17,357 cases (+62) (169 deaths)
- Waupaca – 6,864 cases (+30) (141 deaths)
- Waushara – 3,108 cases (+11) (48 deaths)
- Winnebago – 23,861 cases (+93) (243 deaths) (+3)
* You can find cases and deaths for all 72 Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association do not publish updates on weekends. Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.
Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.
DHS says it anticipates re-starting Trump-era Remain-in-Mexico policy in November, is rebuilding tent courts
The Department of Homeland Security says it is ready to reinstate the Trump-era Remain-in-Mexico policy by mid-November in response to a court order upheld by the Supreme Court – even as it works to abolish the program by a different method.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Biden administration to “enforce and implement” what is formally called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) in response to a lawsuit from Texas and Missouri, which claimed that the administration’s attempt to terminate the policy was illegal and harmful. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling.
ARIZONA AG CALLS FOR DOJ TO PROBE FACEBOOK AFTER IT SAYS USERS CAN SHARE INFO ON HOW TO ENTER US ILLEGALLY
MPP was established and expanded in 2019 by the Trump administration and involved sending migrants back to Mexico, rather than being released into the U.S., as their immigration proceedings were heard. The Biden administration began unraveling it earlier this year, even amid soaring migrant numbers, and formally ended it in June before the court ruling ordered a reversal.
Proponents described the policy as incredibly effective, by weeding out bogus or insufficient asylum claims without letting people into the country, and one that helped end the process of “catch and release.” Amid the ongoing border crisis, which has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants hit the border in recent months, with tens of thousands being released into the U.S., Republicans and border officials have urged the Biden administration to re-implement the policy.
Sept. 17, 2021: Scenes from underneath the International Bridge in Del Rio.
However, critics called the process inhumane and one that left migrants open to violence and exploitation on the Mexican side of the border by cartels and other criminals, where migrants gathered in de facto camps.
In a filing on Thursday, the Biden administration said it had made “substantial progress” in re-implementing MPP, even as it says it is seeking alternative ways to end the program.
The filing said it had engaged in talks with Mexico, finalized operational plans and has also issued a task order to rebuild the soft-sided facilities (which were commonly referred to as “court tents”) in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas to the tune of $14.1 million — with a predicted $10.5 million a month in operational costs.
BORDER CRISIS: VIDEO SHOWS SMUGGLER ABANDON 7-YEAR-OLD MIGRANT GIRL
“As a result of this progress, DHS anticipates being in a position to re-implement MPP by mid-November dependent on decisions made by Mexico.”
The filing emphasizes “DHS cannot implement MPP without Mexico’s independent decision to accept individuals that the United States seeks to send to Mexico” and will need its concurrence on how many entries will be permitted and who will be accepted for return.
They say Mexico has identified a number of changes it would like to see made to MPP, including better coordination and an assurance that cases are generally adjudicated within six months of enrollment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In a statement DHS said it is taking “necessary steps” to comply with the order, despite its appeal and efforts to end the policy.
“As announced previously, DHS also will be issuing a memorandum terminating MPP,” a spokeperson said, adding that it would not take effect until the injunction is lifted.
3,075 new cases; 19 deaths; hospitalizations in Fox Valley increase
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reports almost 92% of the state’s ICU beds, and 90% of all hospital beds, are filled. Almost 58% of hospitals report their ICUs are at peak capacity, and just over 40% report their medical centers are at overall peak capacity. Over the past two weeks, hospitalizations increased 23% in the eight-county Fox Valley region, which has 13 hospitals serving them. The Northwest region of the state saw a 14% increase, while the rest of the state has seen no significant change, and no decline, in two weeks.
These numbers include patients being treated for any condition, not just COVID-19, but hospital systems are sending out dire messages. ThedaCare reported it had no ICU beds in its health system on Tuesday because COVID-19 patients require longer stays. President/CEO Dr. Imran Adnrabi released a statement, “Our teams are currently strained caring for COVID and non-COVID patients. We must be available to care for those with COVID, and those suffering from serious medical situations such as heart attacks, stroke, trauma and providing cancer care treatments, and we cannot do that without the communities’ help to change course and get COVID infections under control.” ThedaCare says Wisconsin ranks #2 in the nation for the largest increase in COVID-19 cases over the past week, citing the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
CASES, DEATHS and HOSPITALIZATIONS
Thursday, the DHS reported 3,075 newly confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. The state is averaging 2,807 new cases every day over the past week. An average 7.5% of coronavirus tests in the last 7 days were positive, which is down from 7.7%. Brown County passed 36,000 cases;
COVID-19′s death toll grew by 19, including 18 deaths that occurred in the past 30 days. Outagamie and Waushara counties both reported 2 deaths; Fond du Lac and Langlade counties both reported 1. The state is averaging 13 deaths per day from the virus. That rolling, 7-day average is up from 12 yesterday.
Thursday’s numbers show 119 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the past 24-hour period. Our calculated 7-day average is 109 hospital admissions per day. The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) reports 1,115 COVID-19 patients across the state Thursday, the most at one time since January 6. Of these, 331 are in intensive care — or 1 in 3. It’s 13 more people in ICU and 12 more patients overall since Wednesday.
Hospitals in the Northeast region are treating 115 of them, including 32 in ICU — 6 more in intensive care and 3 more overall in the past day, with just 4 more ICU beds available among the 10 hospitals. The Fox Valley region has 104 patients, 1 more than Wednesday, with 21 in ICU, which is 1 fewer, with 8 ICU beds remaining among 13 hospitals, according to the WHA.
Wisconsin state health officials say the spread of the COVID-19 virus reached critical levels in 8 counties. These include Forest, Green Lake and Oconto counties. Virus activity is “very high” in 62 counties and high in the remaining 2, including Florence County. There are no counties with moderate or low activity. These labels are based on the number of positive cases per capita over the last two weeks (the “burden”) and the percent change in the number of cases in the past week (the “trajectory”).
Health Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake blames the more-contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. She says the state is still emphasizing all the things that can be done to slow the spread of the virus: Get one of the vaccines, wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands frequently, stay home if you feel sick.
VACCINATIONS
More than 6.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses (6,306,911) have been doled out since December 13 last year. Almost 3.1 million Wisconsinites (3,098,376) have completed their vaccination series, out of 3,283,330 who had at least one shot in the arm. That’s 53.2% of the state’s population fully vaccinated, out of 56.4% that started the process.
Looking only at adults, 67.3% of women and 59.7% of men are fully vaccinated, out of 70.8% of women and 63.2% of men who’ve rolled up their sleeves so far.
Wisconsinites getting COVID-19 vaccine, by age group (and change since last report)
- 12-15: 45.8% received vaccine (+0.1)/40.5% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 16-17: 51.3% received vaccine (+0.1)/46.8% fully vaccinated (+0.2)
- 18-24: 51.2% received vaccine (+0.1)/46.1% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 25-34: 55.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/50.8% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 35-44: 63.1% received vaccine (+0.0)/58.8% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 45-54: 64.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/60.8% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
- 55-64: 73.3% received vaccine (+0.1)/70.3% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
- 65 and up: 85.3% received vaccine (+0.0)/83.3% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (WEDNESDAY)
| County (Population) (Health region) | % of population (change from previous report) | Completed % of population (change from previous report) |
|---|---|---|
| Brown (264,542) (NE) | 57.1% (+0.0) | 54.2% (+0.2) |
| Calumet (50,089) (FV) | 51.1% (+0.0) | 48.6% (+0.1) |
| Dodge (87,839) | 46.2% (+0.1) | 43.5% (+0.1) |
| Door (27,668) (NE) | 71.3% (+0.0) | 68.3% (+0.0) |
| Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE) | 49.3% (+0.1) | 46.3% (+0.1) |
| Forest (9,004) | 46.6% (+0.1) | 43.9% (+0.1) |
| Florence (4,295) (NE) | 47.1% (+0.0) | 45.4% (+0.0) |
| Green Lake (18,913) (FV) | 50.7% (+0.1) | 47.6% (+0.2) |
| Kewaunee (20,434) (NE) | 46.5% (+0.0) | 44.4% (+0.1) |
| Manitowoc (78,981) (NE) | 53.6% (+0.0) | 50.9% (+0.1) |
| Marinette (40,350) (NE) | 47.3% (+0.1) | 44.5% (+0.2) |
| Menominee (4,556) (FV) | 67.4% (+0.4) | 62.4% (+0.5) |
| Oconto (37,930) (NE) | 47.8% (+0.1) | 45.5% (+0.2) |
| Outagamie (187,885) (FV) | 56.8% (+0.0) | 53.8% (+0.1) |
| Shawano (40,899) (FV) | 42.4% (+0.0) | 39.9% (+0.1) |
| Sheboygan (115,340) (SE) | 54.9% (+0.0) | 52.3% (+0.2) |
| Waupaca (50,990) (FV) | 49.5% (+0.0) | 46.6% (+0.1) |
| Waushara (24,443) (FV) | 40.4% (+0.0) | 38.4% (+0.1) |
| Winnebago (171,907) (FV) | 54.6% (+0.0) | 51.6% (+0.1) |
| NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE) | 261,958 (55.2%) (+0.0) | 248,609 (52.4%) (+0.1) |
| FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV) | 291,406 (53.0%) (+0.0) | 275,464 (50.1%) (+0.1) |
| WISCONSIN (5,822,434) | 3,283,330 (56.4%) (+0.1) | 3,098,376 (53.2%) (+0.1) |
COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS
Wednesday, the City of Green Bay and Brown County announced vaccination clinics in October to reach people who live and work in and around downtown. These free clinics are on the first floor of the Sophie Beaumont Building, 111 N. Jefferson St., on October 1 from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M. and October 8 from 12 P.M. to 3 P.M. People will get the Pfizer vaccine, and clinics for their second dose will be held three weeks later.
The community vaccination clinic inside Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. on select dates through December 15. The list of dates will be updated on the Outagamie County website. No appointment is necessary for this walk-in clinic, which is located near the food court and Scheel’s. There’s no cost and no ID required.
On top of encouraging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, health officials are also urging people to get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible, so that overwhelmed hospitals don’t have to deal with flu cases in addition to the COVID-19 cases. The flu season was almost non-existent last year when more people were self-isolating or social distancing, masking, and following other mitigation protocols against COVID-19 — the same protocols that slow the spread of the flu virus.
COVID-19 TESTING SITES
Walk-in or drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at Sunnyview Expo Center weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., with the Wisconsin National Guard handling the testing. Registration is encouraged at www.winnebagopublichealth.org. Testing is recommended (and free) for anyone as young as 1 year old who’s been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19, which can include fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle ache, or sudden loss of taste or smell. Results are usually back within 48 hours.
The City of Appleton announced a walk-in clinic in the old Best Buy building, 2411 S. Kensington Dr. It’s open every Tuesday from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. through Dec. 14 (see the list of dates here). Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s encouraged to speed up the process.
THURSDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (increase since the last report is in bold)**
- Brown – 36,120 cases (+131) (264 deaths)
- Calumet – 6,546 cases (+21) (53 deaths)
- Dickinson (Mich.)* – 2,720 cases (60 deaths)
- Dodge – 13,491 cases (+37) (188 deaths)
- Door – 3,057 cases (+20) (31 deaths)
- Florence – 480 cases (+1) (13 deaths)
- Fond du Lac – 14,707 cases (+71) (141 deaths) (+1)
- Forest – 1,222 cases (+15) (26 deaths)
- Gogebic (Mich.)* – 1,226 cases (23 deaths)
- Green Lake – 2,035 cases (+22) (25 deaths)
- Iron (Mich.)* – 1,136 cases (43 deaths)
- Kewaunee – 2,640 cases (+17) (30 deaths)
- Langlade – 2,466 cases (+21) (37 deaths) (+1)
- Manitowoc – 8,658 cases (+52) (80 deaths)
- Marinette – 4,791 cases (+23) (69 deaths)
- Menominee (Mich.)* – 2,182 cases (44 deaths)
- Menominee – 872 cases (+1) (11 deaths)
- Oconto – 5,275 cases (+29) (65 deaths)
- Outagamie – 23,227 cases (+74) (233 deaths) (+2)
- Shawano – 5,414 cases (+37) (75 deaths)
- Sheboygan – 15,517 cases (+57) (155 deaths)
- Waupaca – 5,779 cases (+20) (134 deaths)
- Waushara – 2,539 cases (+8) (42 deaths) (+2)
- Winnebago – 21,141 cases (+101) (215 deaths)
* You can find a list of cases and deaths for all Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association do not publish updates on weekends. Update: Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.
Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.