Tuesday, March 9, 2021 - 8:44 am
Dr. Ellen Wald and Dr. Sabrina Butteris provided a virtual update on the COVID cases in Dane County and other relevant information at the Board of Education meeting at Kromrey Middle School on Monday, March 8.
Wald noted the number of positive cases in the United States peaked in early January and has declined since. The results are similar in Wisconsin with an enormous surge in November 2020 with positive cases declining since. She noted over the past two weeks deaths positive cases are down by 11 percent, deaths by 20 percent and hospitalization by 30 percent in Wisconsin.
Dane County also saw its highest number of positive cases in November and they rose slightly again in January but have declined since. Wald noted at their peak that hospitalizations were nearly 180 per day but are now at about 20, while patients in the ICU reached a high of 49 daily in November and are now about 10 per day.
Wald also presented information on the three main variants -- UK, South African, and Brazil. She noted opportunities for any virus to mutate are enormous and expected, but that most mutations don't amount to much. She also noted how in February 2020 a mutant strain appeared that eventually became the dominant strain by April.
The major concerns with variants is could cause ongoing surge, increase in severity cases, re-infections or vaccine failure, or increase proportion of population for herd immunity, Wald said. And while only a handful of states haven't had a positive UK variant case and all three have been observed in the United States that concerns about the variants haven't been proven.
Wald reviewed the procedure, cloth and N-95 masks and noted all three are very effective if worn correctly. She said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a study about how to improve fit of your mask and noted that double-masking or knot-and-tuck help close any side gaps and increase effectiveness.
She noted noted all three vaccines -- Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- are 100 percent effective against the virus' most serious effects. She also believes it takes 28 days for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be 100 percent effective.
Members had about 20 minutes' worth of questions. They asked about having elementary students back in school four days a week, especially as maintaining 6 feet of physical distancing would be challenging. Wald noted must make sure wearing masks are worn properly and continue to limit number of students coming in contact with. She also said it is harder to cohort older grades and suggested it might not be worth bringing them back four days a week because so late in the school year. Butteris noted schools that have been open most or all of the year have been able to stay open even if can't guarantee 6 feet of physical distancing because students and staff wear face coverings properly.
"I think that masks are really effective and you should do the best you can to keep students apart,'' Wald said.
Added Butteris: "Dr. Wald's point that you should walk before you run with older students is important.''
Members also wondered about having students coming to school without the vaccine. Wald noted that while there has been some virus in children believes mental health issues outweigh the risk of infection. She also noted with more adults being vaccinated it means there is less virus around than six months ago, which also helps reduce number of people who can get the virus.