JANESVILLE, Wis. – Rock County has more active cases of COVID-19 than any other time since the beginning of the pandemic.
According to Rock County Public Health, the county currently has 620 active Coronavirus cases, up 400 from the same time last month.
“That’s what’s really concerning us,” said County Epidemiologist Nick Zupan. “We’re seeing levels of COVID activity that we have not seen before.”
Zupan said there’s no single place responsible for the spread of the virus in the county.
“We’re seeing spread from family members to other family members throughout the household,” Zupan said. “We’re seeing people that identify work as the place they’re getting exposed to the illness. Other people are being exposed at bars and restaurants.”
While active cases climb in Rock County, so do hospitalizations – now at the second highest mark since March.
“We are seeing a lot of our hospital beds fill up with COVID-19 patients again,” said Brenda Klahn, an Infection Preventionist at SSM Health. “That’s when it becomes concerning and alarming.”
Klahn says many are suffering from “COVID fatigue”, and have begun to let their guards down against social distancing and other health measures.
“Keep your circle small,” she said. “Because that one person who has very light symptoms such as a headache or sore throat for a day or two, you’re spreading that illness to everyone you have.”
Public health leaders, as well as county leaders, are now asking President Trump to reconsider a planned trip to Janesville this Saturday, due to the high risk for community spread of the virus.
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