No confirmed COVID-19 in Shawano, Menominee counties

Health officials concerned about limited tests, hospital bed space
By: 
Tim Ryan
Reporter

SHAWANO — As of Monday, there were no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Shawano or Menominee counties, but that is likely to change sooner or later, health officials said.

“We have multiple people who are symptomatic and have been tested and we’re awaiting those results,” said Dr. Kevin Culhane, a member of the Shawano County Board of Health.

A number of people who have been exposed or who have traveled to hot spots where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 are presently in quarantine.

There was no figure available for how many people are in quarantine, but it does include five Shawano County employees, according to County Administrative Coordinator Brent Miller. It’s unknown how many of those in quarantine have been tested for the coronavirus.

Culhane said some people could self-quarantine if they think they’ve been exposed without the health department being aware of it.

He said it can take up to 10 days for someone to start showing symptoms after they’ve been exposed to the virus. Those symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department does not have the capacity to do testing, but they do get reports on those who have been tested from the doctors and hospitals who treat them.

Culhane said there are three priority categories for people who should be tested first, including hospitalized patients, patients who have been exposed or have had high-risk travel to hot spots, and those patients who are medically fragile such as those over 65 or who have an underlying medical condition.

Health Director Vicki Dantoin said the department is kept notified of any suspected COVID-19 cases in Shawano and Menominee counties.

So far, test results that have come in have been negative.

The board of health Monday heard an update from Dantoin on the coronavirus situation in Shawano and Menominee counties, even as cases around the state continued to grow and get closer to this area.

A new case of confirmed COVID-19 was reported Monday in Outagamie County, the first case that county has reported.

As of Monday, there were 47 confirmed cases in the state. That’s up from 19 that were reported on Friday.

“I’m assuming it’s just a matter of time before we get ours,” Dantoin told the board. “So we’re trying to prepare for that.”

Miller said the state had put out information that there 700 tests a day being done in Wisconsin.

However, testing kits are getting scarce, according to Dantoin.

“The last I heard, they said that they were getting low on kits and trying to order more and at the national level they didn’t really have any more,” she said.

Culhane, who is clinical director at the Menominee Tribal Clinic and also affiliated with ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano, said that a problem at the local level is a shortage of the specialized swabs needed to take samples that can be sent to the state lab for testing.

At the tribal clinic, which has about 150 patients a day, there are only 16 swabs available.

“We’re not able to get any more at this moment,” Culhane said.

Culhane also said there are no ventilators available for treating coronavirus patients at the hospital, other than the ones used in surgery, and bed space is also limited.

“This is why this is such a scary thing,” he said. “The Shawano hospital has a capacity of 23 patients in the hospital and we routinely reach that limit once or twice a week and have to divert to area hospitals.”

That could be a problem if COVID-19 starts showing up here.

“If we’re talking a surge of patients, five extra, 10 extra, where are they going to go?” Culhane said. “Because Appleton is going to be full. Green Bay is going to be full.”

Culhane said social distancing was the best bet for limiting the spread of the virus.

Dantoin said the health department has been getting the word out through press releases and the media on recommendations for social distancing and hygiene practices like hand-washing.

The department has also been in constant contact with other health officials at the the state and local level and closely monitoring an responding to a health situation that is changing day by day.

State health officials Monday reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin rose to 47.

According to the Department of Health Services website, the breakdown of cases by county as of Monday was as follows:

• Dane County: 10

• Fond du Lac County: 11

• Milwaukee County: 13

• Outagamie County: 1

• Pierce County: 1

• Racine County: 1

• Sheboygan County: 3

• Waukesha County: 3

• Winnebago County: 3

• Wood County: 1