Richland Center, WI: A virtual Emergency Operations Center meeting was held this morning to share information between Richland County officials and community partners in a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the consistent uptick in positive cases in Richland County, the partners have decided to meet twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting next week.
Public Health Manager/Local Health Officer, Rose Kohout announced that as of 2:00pm Wednesday, September 23rd the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed that in the state of Wisconsin there were 105,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 1,360,183 have tested negative, there were 1,259 deaths, and 6,821 hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Of those that tested positive for COVID-19 in the state of Wisconsin, 6% have been hospitalized. There are now 103 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Richland County, 4,344 have tested negative, there are 35 active cases, and 64 individuals who had tested positive have been released from quarantine. Of those 103 individuals who tested positive, 99 individuals have been recovering at home, 7 have been hospitalized at some point, and there were 4 COVID-19 related deaths.
FREE COVID-19 drive-thru community testing will continue to be offered every Monday through the end of the year from 9am-1pm at the Richland County Fairgrounds. The next event will be offered Monday, September 28th. Individuals will have to be a Richland County resident and meet specific testing criteria. Tests will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. 73 individuals were tested at the event offered on Monday, September 21st and the results of those tests will be included in the daily Richland County totals once they are received and verified. The collaborative partners will continue to evaluate the needs of the community and may offer additional community testing events in the future.
The Richland Hospital continues to offer COVID-19 drive-thru testing from 1 pm to 4 pm Monday thru Friday for hospital & clinic patients displaying COVID-19 symptoms or to those that have a confirmed exposure. All persons requesting testing will need to call the Richland Hospital and be registered BEFORE arriving at the drive-thru. The Richland Hospital Clinic campus continues to offer voluntary medical procedures and Primary Care visits, while also continuing to offer Tele-Health patient visits. Richland Hospital Clinic patients needing hands-on medical care for any COVID-19 symptoms should call the hospital main number (608) 647-6321 or clinic main number (608) 647-6161 BEFORE coming to the facility.
Local nursing home facilities reported that internal, routine COVID-19 testing of staff and residents continue. This testing requirement is based upon state and federal guidance that is designed to assist facilities to improve their infection prevention and control practices, to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, and keep residents and the health care personnel who care for them safe from infection.
Citizens are encouraged to check out the Richland County COVID-19 Dashboard which offers helpful data to better understand the impact of the pandemic globally and locally: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us/2020/04/21/richland-county-covid-19-dashboard/. For the most up-to-date COVID-19 information, follow Richland County Health & Human Services on Facebook or consult the following websites:
- Richland County: https://covid.co.richland.wi.us
- The Greater Richland Area Chamber of Commerce: www.gorcchamber.com
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
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