More people and places in Wisconsin are adjusting as fears of the novel coronavirus continue to grow in the state.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services on Tuesday confirmed a third positive coronavirus case in the state. A person in Dane County is the latest to be confirmed as sick.
“We continue to urge state residents to take precautions to avoid illness,” State Health Officer Jeanne Ayers said.
DHS said this third person contracted the virus while traveling within the United States.
To date, one person in Pierce County in western Wisconsin has also been confirmed sick. The first person to get the coronavirus in Wisconsin, a person from Dane County, has fully recovered.
“We are working with our local health departments to make sure everyone who has been in contact with our confirmed cases is notified,” Ayers added.
Most of the people who have been tested for the coronavirus in Wisconsin have come back as not sick. DHS said as of Tuesday afternoon, 43 people have been tested and confirmed to not have the virus.
While the numbers for the coronavirus remain relatively low in Wisconsin, the fear is growing.
School leaders in Osceola closed school Tuesday after someone confirmed to be sick with the virus visited a school event over the weekend.
The University of Wisconsin Madison on Monday suggested that students and faculty members cancel their spring break trips, both in and outside of the U.S. because of the coronavirus.
Wisconsin, and other states, are updating the coronavirus numbers each day. That gives a sense that the virus is more prevalent than other illnesses. But it is not. By comparison, the flu has killed 44 people in Wisconsin so far this flu season. Numbers submitted to the CDC show that pneumonia has killed another 1,345 people. Those numbers are at least two weeks old, so they likely have increased.
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said the numbers for coronavirus may increase as well. But that is not a cause for concern.
“The number of people being tested for the virus will likely increase substantially,” Willems Van Dijk said. “While we understand that increased number of tests may seem alarming, tests don’t necessarily mean infections.”
