Wisconsin

[jesmu84]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/jvc1h1/billionaire_megadoners_who_fought_wisconsins/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

[GooooMarquette]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/jvc1h1/billionaire_megadoners_who_fought_wisconsins/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

Once again proving that wealth and intelligence don't necessarily go hand in hand.

[GooooMarquette]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong...but in checking out today's Covid numbers for MN and WI, I noticed a startling difference in testing numbers...and something apparently really bad about WI's numbers.

MN reported 7,444 new cases (on the summary near the top) from 51,607 tests (to see this, you need to click on 'Testing Data Table'). That's a huge number of new cases, and an alarming positivity rate of 14.4%. Still, the 50,000+ tests shows a tremendous effort to get people tested.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/situation.html#testing1

WI reported a more modest 4,389 cases from a total of 12,298 tests (both on the summary table near the top). That yields a positivity rate of 35.7%.

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/data.htm

Am I missing something, or is WI's testing capability really so dramatically behind that in MN? Don't get me wrong; I am certainly not gloating about what is happening here in MN. I am horribly worried about the spread and positivity rate, and really believe we need more aggressive measures to curb the pandemic. But the testing numbers in WI - if I am reading them right - seem downright criminal. The states have roughly similar populations and demographics, so there should be no reason for WI to be testing less than 1/4th as many people as MN is testing.

Horrible misread on my part? Bad reporting practices in WI? Or is testing in WI really that far behind?

[Billy Hoyle]

Once again proving that wealth and intelligence don't necessarily go hand in hand.

it's not intelligence, it's greed.

[The Sultan]

I saw something this morning that Wisconsin's numbers only include NEW people tested.  For instance, my wife has had three Covid tests.  All negative.  She only counted toward the denominator the first time she was tested.  Hypothetically, had she tested positive even the third time, she would have counted toward the numerator that time, but not the denominator.

So this has two impacts.  First, it shows a lesser test number than actually is happening - it merely shows the new people tested each day.  Second, it inflates the percent positive stat.

Now I am not sure I am right about this.  I read the FAQ multiple times and THINK I am...

[The Lens]

From JSOnline:

Mondays typically turn out the lowest numbers of the week, as fewer tests are conducted and processed over the weekend. Still, the batch of nearly 4,400 new cases marks the highest Monday case count ever.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/11/16/wisconsin-coronavirus-state-reports-4-389-new-cases-12-deaths-monday/6314737002/

Would guess we're usually doing 15-20K tests / day.  Not much better.

[GooooMarquette]

Thanks Fluffy and Lens - your follow up helps explain part of the gap. There still seems to be a significant difference between the states' testing, but not nearly as dramatic as it appeared.

Sure would be nice if there was a single, agreed-upon reporting format. I know - dream on....

[Warriors4ever]

https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-to-expand-covid-19-testing-in-spring/

I heard the U of I chancellor talking about this on the radio today. He said that the U if I protocol has proved to be very effective -their positivity rate is less than one percent, students are tested I think twice a week, and they have quarantine and isolation protocols.

I also read something from a few weeks ago  that said many residents of Iowa and Wisconsin are going to Illinois for tests. I don't know where those get reported.
Illinois is now reporting the results of the antigen fast tests, which are less reliable than the PCR tests.

[warriorchick]

https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-to-expand-covid-19-testing-in-spring/

I heard the U of I chancellor talking about this on the radio today. He said that the U if I protocol has proved to be very effective -their positivity rate is less than one percent, students are tested I think twice a week, and they have quarantine and isolation protocols.

I also read something from a few weeks ago  that said many residents of Iowa and Wisconsin are going to Illinois for tests. I don't know where those get reported.
Illinois is now reporting the results of the antigen fast tests, which are less reliable than the PCR tests.

It is my understanding that U of I received a grant to study the rapid testing.  That is why they can afford to test students as often as they do.

[injuryBug]

I saw something this morning that Wisconsin's numbers only include NEW people tested.  For instance, my wife has had three Covid tests.  All negative.  She only counted toward the denominator the first time she was tested.  Hypothetically, had she tested positive even the third time, she would have counted toward the numerator that time, but not the denominator.

So this has two impacts.  First, it shows a lesser test number than actually is happening - it merely shows the new people tested each day.  Second, it inflates the percent positive stat.

Now I am not sure I am right about this.  I read the FAQ multiple times and THINK I am...

Yes that is true.  So all testing at schools is only counted 1 time per student unless they test positive after the 1st negative test.
Talked with a dad of a baseball player at a state school that tests 3x per week.

It will be interesting how the numbers go while schools are on winter break for the next 2 months.  I know in talking with the basketball coaches at St Norbert they have done really well to keep numbers down within the staff and students

[forgetful]

I saw something this morning that Wisconsin's numbers only include NEW people tested.  For instance, my wife has had three Covid tests.  All negative.  She only counted toward the denominator the first time she was tested.  Hypothetically, had she tested positive even the third time, she would have counted toward the numerator that time, but not the denominator.

So this has two impacts.  First, it shows a lesser test number than actually is happening - it merely shows the new people tested each day.  Second, it inflates the percent positive stat.

Now I am not sure I am right about this.  I read the FAQ multiple times and THINK I am...

From an epidemiology standpoint, you do not want to include people routinely tested in test numbers. It would greatly skew the numbers and demonstrate an artificially low percent positive statistic that would be useless.

The impact on inflating the statistic is minimal at best.

Similarly, you want to understand testing capacity for the general public that has reason to believe they may be infected. There is a completely different pool of testing for routine surveillance testing within institutions conducting routine blanket tests. So you don't really want those tests included.

[Warriors4ever]

Illinois is doing something to account for the U if I testing, but I don't remember what.

[Hards Alumni]

https://www.channel3000.com/dane-co-officials-ban-indoor-gatherings-limits-outdoor-gatherings-to-10-people/

[MUfan12]

https://www.channel3000.com/dane-co-officials-ban-indoor-gatherings-limits-outdoor-gatherings-to-10-people/

This is just... I don't know.

I get the intent, and largely support it. But I hate the way they're messaging this. It's still okay for your employer to have you in the office with strangers (even at half capacity) but having a single person over to your house for Thanksgiving is too much?

[Hards Alumni]

This is just... I don't know.

I get the intent, and largely support it. But I hate the way they're messaging this. It's still okay for your employer to have you in the office with strangers (even at half capacity) but having a single person over to your house for Thanksgiving is too much?

I mean, it's Dane County.  Run by a bunch of well intentioned half-wits.  I support it, but this will be the nail in the coffin for a ton of bars and restaurants that haven't paused or closed up shop.  And honestly, that sucks.  But at some point we have to accept this and end the suffering of people instead of things.

[Its DJOver]

So at this point is it safe to assume that another lockdown is just a case of "when" rather than "if" for WI with both IL and MN ramping up restrictions this week?  As someone who hasn't been able to see certain family members because they work in the service industry (they're following all protocols, I've just been playing it safe), I'd sleep better if I knew that they were safe, even if it increases the economic struggle.

[#UnleashSean]

So at this point is it safe to assume that another lockdown is just a case of "when" rather than "if" for WI with both IL and MN ramping up restrictions this week?  As someone who hasn't been able to see certain family members because they work in the service industry (they're following all protocols, I've just been playing it safe), I'd sleep better if I knew that they were safe, even if it increases the economic struggle.

Most likely. I don't think Evers has the balls to do it until after the new year though.

[GooooMarquette]

So at this point is it safe to assume that another lockdown is just a case of "when" rather than "if" for WI with both IL and MN ramping up restrictions this week?  As someone who hasn't been able to see certain family members because they work in the service industry (they're following all protocols, I've just been playing it safe), I'd sleep better if I knew that they were safe, even if it increases the economic struggle.

If it was up to Evers, it would be a matter of 'when.' But the state legislature and courts get you back to 'if.'

[Jockey]

If it was up to Evers, it would be a matter of 'when.' But the state legislature and courts get you back to 'if.'

We have a state legislature? When do they meet?

[#UnleashSean]

We have a state legislature? When do they meet?

At the current rate, once every 9 months! But its safe to go out!

[GooooMarquette]

We have a state legislature? When do they meet?

I'm not sure they realize they are supposed to meet. They seem to think they exist simply to file lawsuits.

[mu_hilltopper]

I don't think Evers will try a state-wide closure.    He might via the DPI have authority over the schools, so that might happen.

Frankly, at this stage, I don't think it matters.

Businesses aren't the bulk of the spreaders .. it's casual contact of friends and family being stupid and they aren't going to stop with a shelter-in-place order.

#doom #Arbys

[GooooMarquette]

Businesses aren't the bulk of the spreaders .. it's casual contact of friends and family being stupid and they aren't going to stop with a shelter-in-place order.

That may be true, with one HUGE exception: bars. In Colorado and Louisiana, researchers attributed 20% of cases to bars.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/more-evidence-points-bars-adding-covid-19-spread

The data show that foot traffic to bars was followed by a rise in cases, and in Colorado and Louisiana—some of the few states that make contact tracing data public—20% of all cases can be traced to bars and restaurants.

Indoor dining, especially when capacity is capped at 25%, appears to be less of a problem than bars. But in bars, physical distancing is harder to control, and people talk more and louder when alcohol is consumed, which could contribute to the production of more virus aerosols.

......

Now consider the bar scene in WI, and ask yourself if it would be only 20%....

[Marquette Fan]

If it was up to Evers, it would be a matter of 'when.' But the state legislature and courts get you back to 'if.'

I figure as soon as Evers makes an order, the Republicans start working on overturning it.

There were rumors Evers was going to shut down the schools in the state last week but those all proved to be a wild rumor of course.  But I figure if he were to shut down the schools, someone would be suing to overturn it pretty quickly right away.

[4everwarriors]

Worst Gov. Evers duzant no his ass from a hole in da ground, aina?