Dunn County COVID-19 Health Alert and Information

The Dunn County Health Department has released a Health Alert and more information in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and Dunn County. 

As of June 2, 2020 Dunn County has had 25
residents test positive for COVID-19. We are grateful to report that 24 people have been released from
isolation and our newest case is isolating at home. While cases have doubled in some adjacent counties
since the Wisconsin Safer at Home Order was discontinued, Dunn County cases have stayed flat. Our
local Health Systems all agree that we need to stay the course and keep doing the things that have kept
our community and neighbors safe and healthy.

Marshfield Clinic Health System “Dunn County has been fortunate to have limited COVID-
19 positive cases, to this point,” explains Jennifer Strong, M.D., family medicine physician at
Marshfield Clinic – Menomonie Center, and medical advisor for the Dunn County Health
Department. “We know what works and we’ve followed the guidelines of social distancing,
wearing facemasks and frequent handwashing, and our community has benefited. It’s
important that we continue to make responsible choices that not only protect us, but help keep
our friends and neighbors safe who are at higher risk of COVID-19. We are learning more and
more every day about this virus, and we are far from being clear of danger. For the health and
safety of everyone in our community, please continue to follow the guidance of our public
health officials.”

Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar “Safety precautions have helped keep rates of
infection low in our area. Less than 1% of hospitalizations at Mayo Clinic Health System are
COVID-19 related,” says Paul Horvath, M.D., site chair, Mayo Clinic Health System – Red
Cedar in Menomonie. “We urge everyone to continue practices such as social distancing,
washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, wearing a mask in public and
staying at home when sick to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.”
Prevea Health “It is important moving forward to maintain the vigilance that has helped to
keep our communities as healthy as can be during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Ken
Johnson, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Prevea Health. “We are not out of the
woods of this pandemic; each of us plays a critical role in protecting the health and safety of all
those who call Dunn County home.”

The Dunn County Health Department recognizes that these efforts are wearing on our community. We
should all be proud of our efforts to keep our neighbors safe and healthy so far. What we are doing is
working. We need to stay the course.These are things that Dunn County residents should continue to do to protect themselves, their family and loved ones, their neighbors, and their communities:

• ? Practice good hand hygiene with thorough handwashing with soap and water.
• ? Cover coughs and sneezes.
• ? Avoid touching your face.
• ? Stay home when sick.
• ? Practice social distancing, keep six feet of space between you and others.
• ? Wear a cloth face covering when you are in public and unable to keep physically distant.
• ? Avoid public gatherings of more than 10 people in indoor settings and 20 people outdoors.
• ? Avoid traveling in ways that bring you into close contact with people from outside your
• household.

Local businesses play a big role in protecting customers and staff. Here are some state and national
resources:

•  Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation: https://wedc.org/reopen-guidelines/
•  Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-
• sick/prevention.html

Staying Informed:
? To stay up to date with current information we encourage you to check in with these different
news sources.
o Wisconsin Department of Health Services: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/
o Dunn County Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunncountywi/
? Your medical provider also has information on COVID-19 on their Health System website.
o Marshfield Clinic Health System:
https://www.marshfieldclinic.org/specialties/infectious-diseases/corona…
o Mayo Clinic Health System: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/covid19
o Prevea Health: https://www.prevea.com/Ad-hoc-pages/Novel-Coronavirus-COVID-19

If you have questions or immediate needs related to COVID-19, call United Way’s 2-1-1 or text
COVID-19 to 211211. We encourage you to frequently check the Dunn County Health Department
website and to follow the Dunn County Facebook to keep up to date with the changes within our
community.

Health Alert

COVID-19 is a public health emergency both nationally and locally. In approximately December
of 2019, a novel virus known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2),
causing the disease known as coronavirus (COVID-19), was detected. It has spread throughout the
world and every state in the United States of America. To date there have been 1,787,680 cases of
COVID-19, an increase of 26,177 cases over yesterday in the United States of America. State wide,
there have been 18,543 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 140 case over yesterday in Wisconsin.
Locally, there have been 25 cases of COVID-19, an increase of one case over yesterday in Dunn
County.

Symptoms have ranged from life-threatening to nothing noticeable (asymptomatic) in Dunn County
residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, it is possible for local people to spread a
germ that they did not know they had to a person that will experience severe symptoms. We also know
that in Dunn County, 45% of our population has one risk factor and 27% of our population have two or
more risk factors that increase their risk for severe symptoms.

Treatment options are limited. Because the virus is so new, the science is still catching up. One
important area of ongoing research is around treatments and vaccines that are proven safe and
effective. Some anti-viral medications and supportive treatments are showing promise but are still in
initial stages. We cannot currently rely on these treatments to prevent widespread severe illness.
Preventing spread is essential. As a result, non-pharmaceutical prevention of germ spread, or viral
transmission, is so very important. The Dunn County Health Department is recommending the
following ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

1. Dunn County residents are advised to avoid mass gatherings in their place of work, play or
worship. Groups larger than 10 in an indoor setting and 20 in an outdoor setting, create increased
risk of spreading germs. Gatherings over 20 create a significant challenge for effective contact
tracing and prevention of secondary cases. All gatherings that bring together people in a single
room or space, whether inside or outside, at the same time should:
? preserve physical distancing (maintaining 6 feet of distance between people and avoiding all
direct physical contact); and,
? follow all other public health recommendations issued by Dunn County Public Health
Department, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the US Centers for
Disease Control. This importantly includes practicing good hand hygiene, practicing good
respiratory hygiene and staying home when sick.

2. Dunn County residents are advised to limit all non-essential travel. Additionally, residents should
avoid travel where they cannot maintain strict physical distancing. Travel continues to be a risk
factor for getting and spreading COVID-19.

3. Dunn County businesses are strongly encouraged to adopt and apply comprehensive safer business
practices to limit risks to their clients and staff. Close prolonged contact between staff members
and between clients and staff create an increased risk of spreading germs. If two or more cases are
associated with a single business, event or group the Health Department is required to conduct a
facility investigation. Facility Investigations may be required to be publicly disclosed on the
Wisconsin Department of Health Services website. Comprehensive policies that will help prevent a
facility investigation include:
? Have policies in place to monitor their staff for symptoms of COVID-19 or exposure to a
known case on a regular basis;
? Have policies that support working from home, when feasible;
? Have policies encouraging handwashing, wearing masks or cloth face coverings, and physical
distancing;
? Have policies and supplies to ensure adequate disinfection and cleaning;
? Cooperate with Public Health investigations related to COVID-19 confirmed or suspected cases
related to the business operations, including excluding employees based on public health
recommendations and assisting public health with identifying and contacting contacts of cases;
? Review the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation guidelines on safe business
practices, available here: https://wedc.org/reopen-guidelines/.

4. All people are encouraged to contact their health care provider via phone or online, to discuss if
they should be tested for COVID-19 if they are experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID-19
listed on the Wisconsin DHS’s website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/symptoms.htm