SDMA Weekly COVID Update - 9/23/2020

SDMA Weekly COVID Update - 9/23/2020
Posted on 09/23/2020

Hello SDMA Families and Staff.

The data listed on the Dunn County Dashboard was updated today, and you can see that there are now 426 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dunn County (up from 265 last week) and 8,043 negative test results (up from 7,484 last week). There were 218 newly confirmed cases in the past two weeks (up from 86 last week), which results in a HIGH burden of 486 new cases per 100,000 people in Dunn County (up from 218 last week). The statistical trend for the past two weeks in Dunn County is still INCREASING. More information about COVID measurements and levels are posted on the Department of Health Services website.

In looking at a graph of the overall COVID-19 data for Dunn County broken down by age, it can be seen that the large increase in cases over the past two weeks is clearly associated with young adults. The 20-29 age group has seen a dramatic spike in Dunn County, and the number of cases in the 10-19 age group has also risen. According to the UW-Stout website, 87 positive tests have been reported on campus, but it is unclear how many cases can be attributed to the adjacent housing areas.

Some of the increases in the 10-19 age range have been in the SDMA, with 7 cases of COVID reported in our schools. Approximately 9% of the students in the SDMA are currently excluded from school due to close contacts, symptoms, or other COVID-19 concerns. While we anticipate that recent changes at the high school will significantly reduce the number of close contact exclusions, if the number of total exclusions rises and is sustained above 20% at any of our schools, the health department will be closing that particular school and the students will be moving to the Safe-At-Home learning environment as noted on the 2020-2021 SDMA Instructional Models graphic

Please continue to encourage your children and members of your household to Wash Up, Back Up, and Mask Up.

Thank you.

Joe Zydowsky