Vernon County reports 47% COVID-19 test positivity; health department prepares for "crisis notification" and vaccine distribution

The Vernon County Health Department reported on Nov. 12 that recent testing showed a 47% positivity rate for the past week, with 350 individuals tested and 163 positive, and an estimated 60% of spread classified as community transmission.

Department staff told the Board that rising case counts and stretched contact-tracing capacity have prompted preparations to enter a formal "crisis notification" status should cases reach about 30 per day. The minutes note that surrounding counties moved to emergency crisis notification roughly six weeks earlier and that the state of Wisconsin is experiencing widespread crisis-level activity and may take up to seven days to contact positive cases.

The county reported that National Guard testing was scheduled for Nov. 12 with about 300 kits available to increase local testing capacity. Staff also described early planning steps for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, including state-level discussions of large allotments, logistical challenges such as extreme cold-chain storage (noted as down to -75 degrees Celsius), two-dose regimens for at least some candidates, and tiered prioritization that would start with health-care and long-term-care populations. The department said its existing influenza preparedness plan has helped inform vaccine distribution planning.

No formal action on vaccine policy was taken at the meeting; the department presented planning considerations and operational constraints for the Board's awareness. The Board set no local vaccine allocation policy at the Nov. 12 meeting; staff indicated they are continuing planning and will report further as state guidance and supplies evolve.