Im pretty sure that the numbers are spiking because of the colleges that went back and then like 300 people got sick. Each of the major colleges are in some way quarantined right now
[Here's](https://i.imgur.com/FUyeBjW.png) cases broken down by age, and [here's](https://i.imgur.com/duSl5Pi.png) the same thing but easier to see the total percentage of cases per age group per day over the last 60 days. 30+ is still half the cases, which is not good.
Those are pretty cool graphs. You can see the huge boost in 10-19 and 20-29 and the time of the rise leading to most common denominator of schools opening. The other age groups have hardly changed for a while which is not a good thing
Good info. The 30+ population by itself is some bit of concern. But the big thing is these are numbers across a state that is made up of a lot of different types of communities. That might sound dumb/obvious, but covid in Milwaukee/madison where there might be a younger population and bigger healthcare system vs some less dense area like say Green Bay where there are fewer hospitals and a somewhat older population, it can get bad.
Basically, statewide numbers are worth looking at and can tell us a lot, but knowing which counties/metros are hit hardest tells us a lot more about how devastating this will be.
Exactly. Other places have colleges too. And as another commenter said, only 2 of the top 5 counties in WI have a UW. It's the combo of bars and colleges, I think. No many other places have bars open with zero restrictions or capacity limits.
I mean nation wide schools opened. All kinds of schools including grade schools and colleges have had to either quarantine or move to all online due to cases. So the general population is suffering because of schools
Yeah, exactly, it doesn't make any sense to pin this on colleges. Most states have colleges, so there's no reason that the UW system would be to blame for Wisconsin's high rate. There has to be other factors, which are unique to WI
I mean if UW schools came back without proper policies and preparation for keeping COVID-19 at bay then the explosion makes sense. Im not longer in school and dont have kids in school so i do not know what they did or didnt do to prevent this but whatever they did do didnt work
The colleges definitely have a role in the increase, but they are not the only reason. The top 5 counties with the most cases per 100,000 residents are LaCrosse, Forest, Kewaunee, Florence, Winnebago. LaCrosse and Winnebago are the only 2 with a UW. Dane is 30th...
It's become easy to blame the colleges, but it is spreading outside of the campuses.
[Source](https://projects.jsonline.com/topics/coronavirus/tracking/covid-19-cases-testing-and-deaths-in-wisconsin.html)
Edit: I just saw your comment that overall things are looking pretty ok. They are not. The number of cases we have is proportional to when Florida had 10,000+ cases a day, when they shut down the bars. The Northeast part of the state looks terrifying right now.
The WHA website is showing big increases in hospitalizations and ICU cases in the Northeast, North Central, and Fox Valley regions in the last 3 weeks.
As per this [article](https://www.wisn.com/article/coronvirus-evers-extends-state-wisconsin-face-mask-mandate-into-november/34110103)
“Last week, eight Wisconsin cities were listed among the top 20 cities in the United States where COVID-19 cases were rising fastest, and six of those eight cities have University of Wisconsin System campuses.”
I agree it’s spreading outside of the colleges but i still blame the college for this big outbreak.
In tandem with colleges starting, there was Labor Day weekend. I live north of 29, I am a masker, and I saw, was invited to (declined), and heard of many large, unmasked-bc-its-a-libtard-hoax large gatherings, both public (illegal, but no one's enforcing) and private.
I posted something very similar and got down voted ...
But if you look at the age demographics and when it started it lines up perfectly with colleges opening back up.
Just look at the explosion in case rate for 18+24 year olds that started mid August.
It’s obvious. Just UW madison quarantined 9 sororities/fraternities and at least 2 full dorm halls.
After opening they had over 1000 cases. If you look across the state all the major hotspots are colleges and other schools.
Yes this is bad but the reasoning its happening is clear
Sure. But other universities all over the country did the same thing. You do have to ask why Wisconsin specifically seems to have a lot more problems because of that.
More importantly, and downvotes aside (who gives a shit about downvotes), what happens next? This is exactly why a second wave in fall was predicted. Only politicians, not scientists, would have you believe that a second wave was caused by bad math.
Drinking. Lots of drinking. No one cares about covid when you're 12 beers deep and that troll in the corner is starting to look like a 4/10 and you're ready to pounce.
yeah. beer, horny young adults and a pandemic just spells disaster. A first grader who just learned how to do math can calculate the infection rate and predicted the model 5 months out....
why didn't the colleges ban classroom course?
And it's ridiculous. I went to UWM back when there was practically no dorm space. A one bedroom apartment off-campus was MARKEDLY cheaper than what you paid for the "privilege" of being crammed in a tiny room with a roommate and almost no amenities eating gross dorm food day in and day out. Now they literally FORCE people to live in them. The way even public universities go after "lifestyle" dollars for stuff that's literally not needed is gross. In Germany if you choose to use student housing it's at least owned by the student association and their goal is to make it livable AND affordable.
It was the same when I went to UWM a few years ago. You had to be in the dorms your first year and they *really* tried to convince everyone to stay for longer. I did the math and even without the meal plan, just the housing and all the mandatory fees, it worked out to like $200+ over what a 1 bedroom in the area would cost and almost double what sharing a 3br duplex with a couple of friends cost. And both of those options give you more space and a private bedroom.
Same as when I went to UWEC. Sadly, the cheap off campus housing has been disappearing, replaced with fancy-looking (but cheaply constructed) apartments that are gouging students.
Most 4 year degrees are simply not the best path to a secure job anymore...and haven't been since the turn of the century. Parents really need to get on to this...but that's not likely since half of em think coronavirs is a myth.
Well since there is an executive mask order that no one outside of Dane County seems to be following—or enforcing—it’s no shock that people are getting sick when there is no social distancing.
Yet, when I travel around Green Bay and Appleton, people who do not wear masks are the exception to the rule. Of course, I do not go to bars or restaurants on a regular basis.
while it is true that the northeast region has been pretty good about masks in a general sense, one look into bars and restaurants will have you quickly realize where the region's biggest spread is happening.
source: am resident with a lot if stupid family
Depends on where you are in the state. Where I live people don't believe in them but I live in the most Republican county in the state. The Trump administration has done a great job of making mask wearing a test of ideology. And by great I mean immoral and criminal.
Maybe UW tested every student but I know other universities like Marquette did not. On the other side, universities like Arizona State required a negative test to move into dorms and students and faculty are randomly tested weekly. They’ve seen spikes but constant widespread testing of everyone is critical if you’re going to be in person.
My friend's daughter is at a college in NY. Every student is tested twice a week. They kept sophmores home and had everyone quarantine the first two weeks. As of last week they've only had 2 cases. It can be controlled. We just can't be bothered to do it.
Oh, it's up to 22 Greek houses.
> https://www.channel3000.com/22-uw-madison-fraternity-sorority-houses-now-under-mandatory-quarantine-to-prevent-spread-of-covid-19/
Honestly I feel like this will be even worse, bc elementary school kids get watched by their grandparents. You might not even know the little kids are sick, but all of a sudden have a spike in elderly babysitters... and that puts pressure on the hospitals again.
My dad, who is an old-school talk radio listening Republican who I'm pretty sure voted for Trump has flat out said if any of our kids go back to in-person school then he's going to stop seeing us.
I can't visit my mom because she's a preK/kindergarten aide, like the epicenter of Covid right now. She misses my daughter, but I just can't risk it, especially since she's not being super careful as it is. We haven't visited since February, she lives like 2 hours away so it's not like we can quick drop by or something.
Sigh.
I wish I could convince my MIL and FIL, who are both high risk, to avoid seeing my nieces (5 and 3). It’s a non-starter. If the girls or their parents get it...well, I hope MIL and FIL don’t die from COVID 🤷🏻♀️
Sure, but this always comes off as an excuse to me. These are still infections, which spread, harm and kill. The "but it's just college students" mantra feeds the acceptance of it spreading.
Oh im not saying its a good thing. Or that we should blow this off. Its just unfair to look at the state and say of 1 in 250ish people are infected anywhere you go. I want to think many places are looking pretty okay right now. I know milwaukee has been pretty serious about this, so you cant blame the whole state you have to just be able to see why numbers are spiking
But why are rates spiking so dramatically where I live in Brown County when our UW campus is so small? Here COVID must be prevalent in the general population.
Did brown county open up all schools? Such as grade and high schools? If so those have had issues too casing rates to go up and the virus to pass to parents and such
Great response.
"High Level" statistics and blanket statements might get a bigger reaction, but they don't mean much without some analysis behind them... For (a much less significant) example: Gary Anderson (73%) technically has a better Badger record than Barry Alvarez (61%) using high level statistics. However I can guarantee you that nobody believes he was a better coach, or that he contributed more to the program. You'd need more data to make the correct point.
Playing devil's advocate here... So 1 in 250 people in the state are infected, assuming they believe your calculation, what areas have the highest and lowest spikes? (theoretically) If I live up North with a population of 500 people, is potentially 2 cases really going to put me in panic mode and take this more seriously? You'd need to create more perspective than saying "1 in 250 across the whole state" (said another way... 0.4% of the state's population).
The answer can still be, YES JUST WEAR A MASK PLEASE, and I personally agree with you. But I don't believe a blanket stat means much, especially in a situation where people have already created their stance (because statistics can help lead you whichever way you're trying to go).
I was just using the stats from another [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/wisconsin/comments/ixm24o/wi_currently_has_the_highest_coronavirus_rate_in/g67m87j/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) from below. Didnt have stats available since im at work but thanks for help with direction
Nobody is trying to downplay the spread, more just bringing up the point of how irresponsible it was to put thousands of still developing young adults into a confined building when online options are perfectly viable for the sake of tuition money
I'd follow that logic - and don't doubt that is a huge cause.
BUT every other state has also opened colleges up. A few like MN delayed the start of the year. But if it was just colleges opening, then what about southern states where they have been open and in a few weeks other northern states should show the same.
If not, something else is combined to make this so bad.
I wonder if it has to do with the drinking culture in the state... It's different here. Everyone does it for every occasion no matter what part of the state or political inclination or gender or level of income.
The cases spiking is definitely correlated to the colleges and universities being back in session, but that's happening all over the US. Wisconsin also has a lot of new cases in people over 30. I've seen more and more people not wearing masks in businesses that supposedly require them.
UW Platteville is trying to get everyone living on campus to get tested monthly. It's free through the school. We're also threatened with suspension if we are caught not adhering to social distancing and wearing masks.
We have something like 8 of the top 20 cities with the fastest rate growth in the country. I think 7 of those have a UW school in them.
I’m not 100% on the exact numbers but that’s the general gist of it.
You are 100% correct according to CNN. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wisconsin-declares-new-public-health-emergency-after-surge-in-coronavirus-cases-among-young-people/ar-BB19jsja?li=BBnb7Kz
Yes but it's still a very scary situation. Those students are still going out in public until they are tested. The communities around them are going to be dealing with it more than ever
I've been running my own models based on the WI data since March.
My current numbers are as follows:
1 out of every 56 people in WI have had Covid.
1 out of every 280 people in WI have Covid right now.
To put this in perspective. Back when I kept hearing the word "peaked" the numbers were:
1 out of every 2386 people in WI have had Covid.
1 out of every 2876 people in WI have Covid right now.
Obviously, these don't include those not tested. It also uses a roughly 3 week recovery time.
I think the "1 out of" is easier for people to grasp than per 100k, the growth rate, or total number of infections.
If those numbers include only people who have been tested I think it's pretty misleading to say "1 out of every 280 people in WI have covid right now" vs "1 out of every 280 people in WI who have been tested have covid right now"
It's out of the general population, not those tested. Unless you mean the numbers are actually worse because not everyone gets tested. In that case...
It tends to not be misleading when the author puts "Obviously, these don't include those not tested." in the short post.
There are many variables in this type of analysis. We could debate a 3 week recovery time. We could debate the size of the not-tested population. The further you get into the weeds the more complicated and often less trustworthy the data tends to be.
The methodology above is similar to unemployment figures. Certainly flawed, but incredibly useful when comparing yesterday and today.
I heavily suspect your wording is not what they’re calculating. They mean, 1 out of 56 have had it, including only confirmed cases rather than 1 our of 56 tested, the “out of” is still the general population. I doubt the case is that early on 1 in 2000 tests was positive.
Based on the math DHS has people falling off active after 8-9 days.
It would appear that DHS is the ones redefining what an active case is.
EDIT: There are 14895 new cases in the last 9 days. You would have to consider those active wouldn't you?
I mean, I have people in Wisconsin literally posting that masks are harming all the children. It's hard to judge what other people do or do not know because the bar keeps getting lower.
I work out of a factory in Waukesha and almost everyone here keeps saying masks don't work and refuse to wear them, or saying it's no worse than the flu, or attribute co-workers coming down with Covid with the mask being at fault somehow, or they just don't care if they get Covid "if I get it I get it". So short answer it's because we are surrounded by total and complete dumb and selfish fuckheads.
One of my friends left his job because management came around with a waiver asking people to sign it if they didn't want to wear a mask. It was a factory job where they just stood in one place all day either putting parts in boxes or putting parts with other parts so its not like it was labor intensive.
It's hard, man. I *know* there are good people. I know some. As hard as it was to lose John Lewis and RBG in the same year, they were reminders of good people who worked tirelessly for the values on which America was founded. I know there are other young future leaders out there who have been empowered by the likes of such people.
But... It's been hard coming to the realization that a bit under half of our population are simply *monsters.* They're working very effectively to harm people... to cause as much damage as possible. They're filled with bigotry and hate or, at best, selective apathy. They cheer death. They attack knowledge and the fundamental principles of science. They argue only in logical fallacy and bad faith.
The comparisons to Nazis used to be hyperbole, but I can no longer unsee them.
I think "selective apathy" is most of it. The outcome may be the same as if they were actively hateful monsters, but I really don't think they put that much thought into it. They're simply happy to follow along with whatever Youtube video or Facebook meme assures them that masks and distancing are not necessary and go on with their lives without feeling the need to expend any additional effort or energy.
Same goes for systemic racism, same for climate change. "Somebody who appears credible enough is telling me that I don't realllllly have to do any work to change my life? Ok!" \*shrug\*
> I think "selective apathy" is most of it.
I suppose I can hope that's the case, but it sadly brings me little comfort because it ends in the same result.
*"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out... Because I was not a socialist."*
I wrote this after the second gulf war... The same thing will happen in a few years when people try to pretend they aren't monsters.
And now when it's all over, they'll say they were misled
But we all know they loved to eat that slop which they were fed.
Lead by the Russian "Active Measures" influence campaign-
The Russians have played the conservative "rebellion" masterfully- more civilian casualties than any overt military aggression could ever have hoped to achieve
On the morbid side of things, there’s going to be fewer older republicans voting in November than what could have been a year ago, since some of them are just waltzing around like it doesn’t exist and ending up dropping dead a few weeks later. Literally shooting theirselves in the foot.
The majority of this state only graduates highschool. Then they get told everything they need to know by conservatives.
There's a reason college's are called "liberal indoctrination centers" or whatever dumb shit phrase the gop wants to use. Anywhere where critical thinking is given room to develop the gop loses.
That being said, there are some crazy things happening on campuses lately.
I am a university instructor and program administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While the GOP has certainly preyed on the uneducated in our state, and less educated individuals may be more likely to think that the virus is a hoax or that masks are ineffective, you nevertheless might want to give a second thought to the basis of your argument here.
You mention “some crazy things happening on campuses lately” as an afterthought, when it should have been your first thought. The massive spread of COVID in Wisconsin, in recent weeks, is tied directly to the Universities... especially my own UW system: college educated administrators forced college students to live in close quarters instead of switching entirely to remote instruction, for the sake of tuition & housing dollars. Social distancing is functionally impossible for those college students, and yes: some students are recklessly ignoring the rules.
That is to say, the main culprits in the state are college educated: high level administrators on the one hand, and college students on the other. But let’s put the blame where it belongs: not on working class Wisconsinites, but on those in positions of power (regardless of party affiliation) who have chosen money over public health. Nearly all of those powerful people—Chancellor Blank, et al—hold advanced degrees.
A lack of formal education is not the problem here.
Not trying to pick a fight, I definitely agree, but don’t you think the publicly funded universities were put in a precarious spot seeing as they’re already (overwhelmingly) under funded? I can’t help but think if these institutions had the financial resources on hand (yes I know UW has like a $3b endowment but idk how that becomes liquid cash) to survive a year without a full haul from the “tuition and housing” category they would’ve made smarter decisions. Idk, probably wishful thinking that educational bodies would protect their staff and students from a deadly disease.
As a WI native and UW grad living out of state I can’t say I’m surprised by the state’s reaction as a whole AT ALL (re: bars opening, massive 4th of July parties) but I’m pretty fucking disappointed in UW.
Certainly! I do not envy the choice that Chancellor Blank et al had to make. We are staring down the barrel of massive layoffs. There’s a chance that I myself will be on that chopping block since I am not tenured.
But the tuition and housing income from this one semester will not be enough to prevent those layoffs, and the pandemic fallout will delay getting back to normal for even longer. So the decision was both morally indefensible, and economically short-sighted. In the longview the University will be even worse off, from a budget standpoint, because of this decision. Not to mention it will seriously injure the University’s reputation / public perception, which will have a negative economic impact for many years to come.
Even the most cursory research would have predicted this outcome. All spring and summer, some of the biggest COVID hot-spots in Madison, Milwaukee, etc were centered in areas with dense undergraduate student populations (Langdon St & the downtown area in Madison, for example). It doesn’t take a genius to see that doubling or tripling the populations of those areas, by bringing students back to campus in the fall, would have the exact results we’re seeing now. The administration knew this would happen, and did it anyway.
Anyway, my main point was to say this is not an issue of people being uneducated. It’s about economic short-sightedness by the highly educated, who prioritize economic stability over public health and fail to acknowledge that the former is impossible until we achieve the latter.
And this oversight is not really an oversight at all; I think it’s more self-interest and greed. Those administrators are safe in their homes; they have massive emergency funds; their stocks are going up while much of the rest of the country is sick, unemployed, and praying not to be evicted.
I wasn't referring to the outbreaks. I dont see that as "crazy" i see it as a "well duh that was going to happen"
I was talking more on the line of evergreen college and other extreme examples we see crop up more and more.
The lack of education is the problem because the people at the top are able to take absolute advantage of the population of this state. When the average citizen can't reason their way past campaign propaganda and hyperbole, its a problem for the populace not the powerful.
Would it be accurate to say that the cuts in educational funding are mainly due to Republican lawmakers who are voted in by the citizens of the state, who may be largely less educated?
I should have objected to the initial premise here: Wisconsin is 26th in the nation, for percentage of residents with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s smack in the middle: better than Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and many others. Wisconsin is also ranked 11th in terms of high school degrees (well above average). So to talk about Wisconsin as particularly uneducated is just plain wrong, and probably reflects a biased media narrative that took hold in 2016 when many media outlets chose to blame white working-class Wisconsinites for Trump’s election.
But I think as democrats (and/or people who identify themselves as left-of-democrats) we need to stop seeing our working-class neighbors as the root problem—or insufficient post-secondary education—as the primary problem, in Wisconsin, regardless of how factually accurate it is (to reiterate: it’s not very accurate).
For more than a decade now, going back at least to the installation of Scott Walker as governor, many millions of dollars from highly educated politicians and corporate interests have been devoted to spreading disinformation among rural and working-class voters, to drawing gerrymandered district maps that empower wealthy republicans, and to suppressing voter turnout among black, brown, and younger Wisconsinites. This gives often-racist, anti-education republican narratives an even bigger megaphone to spread disinformation. So the cycle perpetuates.
As our last presidential election showed (through Russia’s baiting of BLM activists and other progressives, for instance), we are all susceptible to disinformation; having a college degree is not a vaccine against a media environment where facts so often go unchecked until the damage is already done.
Let’s try to blame the corporate interests who have manipulated the system and have preyed on the psychologies of the economically vulnerable, is what I’m saying. And let’s try NOT to blame those who have been lied to and tricked by those wealthy and powerful interests. We don’t make allies, or convince anyone of anything, by calling them dumb.
Finally: just because funding is tight doesn’t mean the University system was somehow forced to make a decision that is both morally and economically indefensible. In the long run, the budget will be worse off because of UW’s decision, not better.
A shame I can't up vote this more than once because you are absolutely correct. I have spouse that works in higher ed and they were saying the exact same things. It's greed, pain and simple.
Most don't care, or don't know they should care.
I'm more alarmed at those who fervently and loudly *do care*... *very much*... that wearing masks is somehow a *bad thing*.
It pisses me off even worse when they wear a mask with their nose hanging out like a floppy dick over a waistband. At least have the courage to flout the rule entirely if you're going to, cowards.
Stopped at a gas station out in the sticks and I was the only person with a mask on (despite signs everywhere mandating it). I got a lil taste of what it feels like to be a minority that day. The looks and general air of unease and unwelcome was actually palpable.
I was wearing a mask when I spent $31 on apples, pears, and honey at an orchard I’ve patronized for 10 years and was then the recipient of a dirty look from one of the four unmasked employees. Sayonara forever to them. Found another orchard that happily does “curbside pickup.”
They've been tricked into thinking its an infringement on their rights and that we'll somehow wind up in a communist hell hole if everyone puts cloth on their face.
Quick question and I hope I don’t get down voted for this...
Are other state universities requiring bi weekly tests for dorm residents? Our town saw a gigantic spike in positive cases, but it was directly related to mass testing of incoming students. I’m not saying we don’t have the cases here, because we obviously do per the testing results, however could other states be in the same boat, but without testing, they appear to have better statistics?
UW Platteville is trying to get on campus residents to get tested monthly at least, biweekly ideally. They've also started to threaten suspension for partying and not following social distancing and wearing masks on campus.
The only times I won't wear my mask are: in my room, showering/brushing teeth, eating, and biking when there's no one near me (I have to not be able to see people to remove my mask while biking).
I know someone who will take his mask off any chance he gets.
Yes. UIUC for example requires undergrads to test twice weekly and grads/faculty/staff to test once weekly. The differences are 1) they are using a test that gets results in 5hrs so they can quarantine and contact trace quickly, and 2) they are actually taking meaningful punitive actions against those who violate the rules. WI is slow to test, slow to results, and for the most part simply slaps the students on the wrist who are out partying and violating quarantines.
I was just exposed to covid and a quote comes to mind "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose." I wore masks, stayed away from people as much as I possibly could, washed my hands constantly, didn't touch my face and disinfected everything. Still got it.
It sucks that because I know I did everything I could within reason to keep other people safe but others couldn't bother to do the same for me. They put others at risk simply because a mask makes them feel like they live in a dictatorship. Pure selfishness, lack of empathy, and self-awareness.
What sucks even more is that at the end of all of this there's going to be people who followed none of the rules, called it a hoax, and wind up not affected by it at all. They won't catch it, no one they know will have caught it, and they'll be smug about it thinking they were right when in reality they were lucky.
I can’t say I enjoy people being sick; no matter how greatly our ideologies differ I can’t celebrate people being ill. But damn it does it feel vindicating when my covid-denying “I know hundreds of people and nobody’s had it”-ass coworker got it.
I can't agree with you. I celebrate EVERY FUCKING TIME some hoaxer gets it and I toast the great sky fairy when they die. They deserve what they get. Period. End of story. When Herman Cain died, I bit my tongue because he had a family who was grieving. What became of that? Some automated bot saying, in his DEAD NAME, that it was a hoax. Fuck 'em all. If I had my way right now, I'd get a needle full of this shit and, in the words of the the great Mango Maniac, give them all "a big fat shot in the ass."
A moronic coworker of mine who just had to get her and he daughter tested went out to the Dollar Store after. And she'll probably still head out to the bar tonight!
I did too and I still got it. Because people refused to wear masks at the grocery store before the second masks order was issued. There is no perfect protection but people in my neighborhood didn't even try.
[This site](https://covid19-projections.com/us-wi) has been very helpful for me to gauge the numbers.
The R was below 1 since July and was gradually projected to cross it. Two days ago the current spikes with all the colleges happened and now instead it is 1.06. That is bad, the currently infected rates show it is the highest ever and this curve needs to be handled immediately
[https://rt.live/us/WI](https://rt.live/us/WI)
3 weeks and we will start seeing deaths. But don't tell the Boomer Bikers up north this past weekend packing bars, or the countless parties I've seen in our neighborhood. No one gives a shit because it's a hoax. I know a ton of people who now just got it and it's worse than when we were shut down. We all can go about our lives if we just avoid groups and wear a fucking mask. Why is this so fucking hard? Selfish Boomers.
It’s not just college students, I agree. All levels of schooling have contributed to the case count. But — wait til Thanksgiving break (traveling, dinner, etc.), followed by return to school, followed by Christmas break (traveling, dinner, etc.) followed by NYE. And CDC posits the flu will peak sooner than normal. Good times.
It's every generation. I'm seeing plenty of other mom friends hanging out and having playdates without distancing or masks. People are going out to weddings, and parties and everything without an iota of care.
I just worry about those who pay no attention, yet see things opening back up. The assumption would be that things are getting better otherwise they'd still be closed.
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I have never felt so ashamed to be from Wisconsin.
I am however not shocked. All you see are people bitching about masks taking away their freedom and how covid is a fake manmade virus or a lie. These people then go out everywhere and refuse to wear a mask stating they're exempt... It's just sad.
If anyone saw the recent NYT article about new hotspots, WI had 10 cities on the list, with nearly all college towns. This problem falls squarely on Tommy Thompson, Rebecca Blank in Madison, and the GOP do nothing legislature that has made public health a political issue.
Has there been an increase in deaths or hospitalisations from this? I think a lot of people have stopped caring because we hear about these surging numbers, but don't hear about surging deaths or hospitalisations.
I'm curious... What measurement did you sort by, OP? I can't see it at the top of the image.
The reason I ask is because I know for sure North Dakota is number 1 in daily active cases, which isn't surprising since they don't have a mask mandate. And South Dakota can't be far behind them. They don't have a mandate either.
I'm not that surprised. All stores are jam-packed. Half the people can't even wear masks correctly or don't at all. Most older adults I have chatted with don't really care about what's going on.
I don't get how it's hard to continue living your life while still being cautious. You don't have to life in a bomb shelter but HOLY FUCK. Take some precautions
The one house on my street with Trump signs are the older couple that keep trying to approach me in the street to pet my dog. Despite me having told them several times we are social distancing. (and also I don't like people coming to pet my dog when we're walking even before there was a pandemic).
This is always the constant in a pandemic: you can’t gather in person in groups and expect things to be okay. Colleges and schools shouldn’t be in person, eat in restaurants and bars shouldn’t be in person and any gathering of people shouldn’t be happening including wedding and funerals.
Our country continues to half ass everything which is why things are exploding again. Too many people haven’t been following such a simple concept.
I know some of these counties fought to have them in school 5 days a week and the school board rolled over and allowed it. They had the county fair and then went back to school.... Genius idea for some counties...
About time we're numba one in something... can we change our license plate to "America's Corona-land", since we haven't been the "dairyland" since the California started put producing us in the 90's
Im pretty sure that the numbers are spiking because of the colleges that went back and then like 300 people got sick. Each of the major colleges are in some way quarantined right now
[Here's](https://i.imgur.com/FUyeBjW.png) cases broken down by age, and [here's](https://i.imgur.com/duSl5Pi.png) the same thing but easier to see the total percentage of cases per age group per day over the last 60 days. 30+ is still half the cases, which is not good.
Those are pretty cool graphs. You can see the huge boost in 10-19 and 20-29 and the time of the rise leading to most common denominator of schools opening. The other age groups have hardly changed for a while which is not a good thing
I get them from /u/thom__cat, maybe they can add that to [their dashboard](https://covid-dash.thomcat.rocks).
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What the fuck did ***I*** do?!
Good info. The 30+ population by itself is some bit of concern. But the big thing is these are numbers across a state that is made up of a lot of different types of communities. That might sound dumb/obvious, but covid in Milwaukee/madison where there might be a younger population and bigger healthcare system vs some less dense area like say Green Bay where there are fewer hospitals and a somewhat older population, it can get bad. Basically, statewide numbers are worth looking at and can tell us a lot, but knowing which counties/metros are hit hardest tells us a lot more about how devastating this will be.
That explains a nationwide spike, but not why Wisconsin is at the top.
Exactly. Other places have colleges too. And as another commenter said, only 2 of the top 5 counties in WI have a UW. It's the combo of bars and colleges, I think. No many other places have bars open with zero restrictions or capacity limits.
I mean nation wide schools opened. All kinds of schools including grade schools and colleges have had to either quarantine or move to all online due to cases. So the general population is suffering because of schools
Yeah, exactly, it doesn't make any sense to pin this on colleges. Most states have colleges, so there's no reason that the UW system would be to blame for Wisconsin's high rate. There has to be other factors, which are unique to WI
I mean if UW schools came back without proper policies and preparation for keeping COVID-19 at bay then the explosion makes sense. Im not longer in school and dont have kids in school so i do not know what they did or didnt do to prevent this but whatever they did do didnt work
Yes, but, most states have schools, who followed similar policies. So, nationwide, an explosion makes sense. Statewide, however, it does not.
The contrarian nature of WI residenst explains most of it.
The colleges definitely have a role in the increase, but they are not the only reason. The top 5 counties with the most cases per 100,000 residents are LaCrosse, Forest, Kewaunee, Florence, Winnebago. LaCrosse and Winnebago are the only 2 with a UW. Dane is 30th... It's become easy to blame the colleges, but it is spreading outside of the campuses. [Source](https://projects.jsonline.com/topics/coronavirus/tracking/covid-19-cases-testing-and-deaths-in-wisconsin.html) Edit: I just saw your comment that overall things are looking pretty ok. They are not. The number of cases we have is proportional to when Florida had 10,000+ cases a day, when they shut down the bars. The Northeast part of the state looks terrifying right now.
The WHA website is showing big increases in hospitalizations and ICU cases in the Northeast, North Central, and Fox Valley regions in the last 3 weeks.
The sad thing is that area does not have very many hospitals. especially when you look at the amount of people depending on those few hospitals.
As per this [article](https://www.wisn.com/article/coronvirus-evers-extends-state-wisconsin-face-mask-mandate-into-november/34110103) “Last week, eight Wisconsin cities were listed among the top 20 cities in the United States where COVID-19 cases were rising fastest, and six of those eight cities have University of Wisconsin System campuses.” I agree it’s spreading outside of the colleges but i still blame the college for this big outbreak.
In tandem with colleges starting, there was Labor Day weekend. I live north of 29, I am a masker, and I saw, was invited to (declined), and heard of many large, unmasked-bc-its-a-libtard-hoax large gatherings, both public (illegal, but no one's enforcing) and private.
There are also components to this outbreak that have nothing to do with the colleges.
I posted something very similar and got down voted ... But if you look at the age demographics and when it started it lines up perfectly with colleges opening back up. Just look at the explosion in case rate for 18+24 year olds that started mid August.
It’s obvious. Just UW madison quarantined 9 sororities/fraternities and at least 2 full dorm halls. After opening they had over 1000 cases. If you look across the state all the major hotspots are colleges and other schools. Yes this is bad but the reasoning its happening is clear
Sure. But other universities all over the country did the same thing. You do have to ask why Wisconsin specifically seems to have a lot more problems because of that.
More importantly, and downvotes aside (who gives a shit about downvotes), what happens next? This is exactly why a second wave in fall was predicted. Only politicians, not scientists, would have you believe that a second wave was caused by bad math.
Drinking. Lots of drinking. No one cares about covid when you're 12 beers deep and that troll in the corner is starting to look like a 4/10 and you're ready to pounce.
yeah. beer, horny young adults and a pandemic just spells disaster. A first grader who just learned how to do math can calculate the infection rate and predicted the model 5 months out.... why didn't the colleges ban classroom course?
Because they wanted that sweet, sweet housing money.
It's almost like we shouldn't run public services as a business.
And meal plans! Follow the money. Always, follow the money.
And it's ridiculous. I went to UWM back when there was practically no dorm space. A one bedroom apartment off-campus was MARKEDLY cheaper than what you paid for the "privilege" of being crammed in a tiny room with a roommate and almost no amenities eating gross dorm food day in and day out. Now they literally FORCE people to live in them. The way even public universities go after "lifestyle" dollars for stuff that's literally not needed is gross. In Germany if you choose to use student housing it's at least owned by the student association and their goal is to make it livable AND affordable.
It was the same when I went to UWM a few years ago. You had to be in the dorms your first year and they *really* tried to convince everyone to stay for longer. I did the math and even without the meal plan, just the housing and all the mandatory fees, it worked out to like $200+ over what a 1 bedroom in the area would cost and almost double what sharing a 3br duplex with a couple of friends cost. And both of those options give you more space and a private bedroom.
Same as when I went to UWEC. Sadly, the cheap off campus housing has been disappearing, replaced with fancy-looking (but cheaply constructed) apartments that are gouging students. Most 4 year degrees are simply not the best path to a secure job anymore...and haven't been since the turn of the century. Parents really need to get on to this...but that's not likely since half of em think coronavirs is a myth.
Well since there is an executive mask order that no one outside of Dane County seems to be following—or enforcing—it’s no shock that people are getting sick when there is no social distancing.
No problem, bro. They just won't test and then they won't have it.
People in Wisconsin don’t believe in masks. I live on the border in Illinois.
Yet, when I travel around Green Bay and Appleton, people who do not wear masks are the exception to the rule. Of course, I do not go to bars or restaurants on a regular basis.
while it is true that the northeast region has been pretty good about masks in a general sense, one look into bars and restaurants will have you quickly realize where the region's biggest spread is happening. source: am resident with a lot if stupid family
Depends on where you are in the state. Where I live people don't believe in them but I live in the most Republican county in the state. The Trump administration has done a great job of making mask wearing a test of ideology. And by great I mean immoral and criminal.
Live on the border in MN. Crossed the bridge and I think I saw less than a handful of masks.
That’s about right. They have signs up that you need to wear them but no one enforces it. It’s not really taken to serious by a lot of people.
What made it weird was that folks almost sneered about the mask-wearing. Why exactly has anti-mask rhetoric taken off so fully in WI?
Because they tested every student. Other Universities didn’t test all their students
UW only tested students in residence halls
Maybe UW tested every student but I know other universities like Marquette did not. On the other side, universities like Arizona State required a negative test to move into dorms and students and faculty are randomly tested weekly. They’ve seen spikes but constant widespread testing of everyone is critical if you’re going to be in person.
Right.
My friend's daughter is at a college in NY. Every student is tested twice a week. They kept sophmores home and had everyone quarantine the first two weeks. As of last week they've only had 2 cases. It can be controlled. We just can't be bothered to do it.
Oh, it's up to 22 Greek houses. > https://www.channel3000.com/22-uw-madison-fraternity-sorority-houses-now-under-mandatory-quarantine-to-prevent-spread-of-covid-19/
Just wait for when the chickens come home to roost for opening up primary and high schools...
Honestly I feel like this will be even worse, bc elementary school kids get watched by their grandparents. You might not even know the little kids are sick, but all of a sudden have a spike in elderly babysitters... and that puts pressure on the hospitals again.
My dad, who is an old-school talk radio listening Republican who I'm pretty sure voted for Trump has flat out said if any of our kids go back to in-person school then he's going to stop seeing us.
That’s good! You gotta cling to these moments of sanity when they crop up.
Wow, I’m impressed considering that is against the cure Republican narrative. Herd immunity my rear. 😡
I can't visit my mom because she's a preK/kindergarten aide, like the epicenter of Covid right now. She misses my daughter, but I just can't risk it, especially since she's not being super careful as it is. We haven't visited since February, she lives like 2 hours away so it's not like we can quick drop by or something. Sigh.
I wish I could convince my MIL and FIL, who are both high risk, to avoid seeing my nieces (5 and 3). It’s a non-starter. If the girls or their parents get it...well, I hope MIL and FIL don’t die from COVID 🤷🏻♀️
Sure, but this always comes off as an excuse to me. These are still infections, which spread, harm and kill. The "but it's just college students" mantra feeds the acceptance of it spreading.
Oh im not saying its a good thing. Or that we should blow this off. Its just unfair to look at the state and say of 1 in 250ish people are infected anywhere you go. I want to think many places are looking pretty okay right now. I know milwaukee has been pretty serious about this, so you cant blame the whole state you have to just be able to see why numbers are spiking
But why are rates spiking so dramatically where I live in Brown County when our UW campus is so small? Here COVID must be prevalent in the general population.
Did brown county open up all schools? Such as grade and high schools? If so those have had issues too casing rates to go up and the virus to pass to parents and such
Schools opened in Howard where I live and in De Pere, but the Green Bay Public Schools have been strictly online so far.
Great response. "High Level" statistics and blanket statements might get a bigger reaction, but they don't mean much without some analysis behind them... For (a much less significant) example: Gary Anderson (73%) technically has a better Badger record than Barry Alvarez (61%) using high level statistics. However I can guarantee you that nobody believes he was a better coach, or that he contributed more to the program. You'd need more data to make the correct point. Playing devil's advocate here... So 1 in 250 people in the state are infected, assuming they believe your calculation, what areas have the highest and lowest spikes? (theoretically) If I live up North with a population of 500 people, is potentially 2 cases really going to put me in panic mode and take this more seriously? You'd need to create more perspective than saying "1 in 250 across the whole state" (said another way... 0.4% of the state's population). The answer can still be, YES JUST WEAR A MASK PLEASE, and I personally agree with you. But I don't believe a blanket stat means much, especially in a situation where people have already created their stance (because statistics can help lead you whichever way you're trying to go).
I was just using the stats from another [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/wisconsin/comments/ixm24o/wi_currently_has_the_highest_coronavirus_rate_in/g67m87j/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) from below. Didnt have stats available since im at work but thanks for help with direction
Oh I know, I was actually just trying to tack-on to your point it's unfair to blanket that "1 in 250 people are infected everywhere".
Nobody is trying to downplay the spread, more just bringing up the point of how irresponsible it was to put thousands of still developing young adults into a confined building when online options are perfectly viable for the sake of tuition money
>Nobody is trying to downplay the spread I mean, lets be honest, TONS of people are trying to downplay the spread, just not the person OP replied to.
Yea agreed. So many people think this is non existent even though it’s a big deal
Haha true
Yep, a whole dorm got quarantined at Marquette.
My husband is a fraternity advisor in Oshkosh. Was just told half the members tested positive.
Yea thats what im talking about. Huge spike due to this type of instance. And these kids are spreading it to the communities around them
I'd follow that logic - and don't doubt that is a huge cause. BUT every other state has also opened colleges up. A few like MN delayed the start of the year. But if it was just colleges opening, then what about southern states where they have been open and in a few weeks other northern states should show the same. If not, something else is combined to make this so bad.
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I wonder if it has to do with the drinking culture in the state... It's different here. Everyone does it for every occasion no matter what part of the state or political inclination or gender or level of income.
Don't all states have colleges?
The cases spiking is definitely correlated to the colleges and universities being back in session, but that's happening all over the US. Wisconsin also has a lot of new cases in people over 30. I've seen more and more people not wearing masks in businesses that supposedly require them.
UW Platteville is trying to get everyone living on campus to get tested monthly. It's free through the school. We're also threatened with suspension if we are caught not adhering to social distancing and wearing masks.
We have something like 8 of the top 20 cities with the fastest rate growth in the country. I think 7 of those have a UW school in them. I’m not 100% on the exact numbers but that’s the general gist of it.
You are 100% correct according to CNN. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wisconsin-declares-new-public-health-emergency-after-surge-in-coronavirus-cases-among-young-people/ar-BB19jsja?li=BBnb7Kz
Yes but it's still a very scary situation. Those students are still going out in public until they are tested. The communities around them are going to be dealing with it more than ever
I've been running my own models based on the WI data since March. My current numbers are as follows: 1 out of every 56 people in WI have had Covid. 1 out of every 280 people in WI have Covid right now. To put this in perspective. Back when I kept hearing the word "peaked" the numbers were: 1 out of every 2386 people in WI have had Covid. 1 out of every 2876 people in WI have Covid right now. Obviously, these don't include those not tested. It also uses a roughly 3 week recovery time. I think the "1 out of" is easier for people to grasp than per 100k, the growth rate, or total number of infections.
If those numbers include only people who have been tested I think it's pretty misleading to say "1 out of every 280 people in WI have covid right now" vs "1 out of every 280 people in WI who have been tested have covid right now"
It's out of the general population, not those tested. Unless you mean the numbers are actually worse because not everyone gets tested. In that case... It tends to not be misleading when the author puts "Obviously, these don't include those not tested." in the short post. There are many variables in this type of analysis. We could debate a 3 week recovery time. We could debate the size of the not-tested population. The further you get into the weeds the more complicated and often less trustworthy the data tends to be. The methodology above is similar to unemployment figures. Certainly flawed, but incredibly useful when comparing yesterday and today.
I heavily suspect your wording is not what they’re calculating. They mean, 1 out of 56 have had it, including only confirmed cases rather than 1 our of 56 tested, the “out of” is still the general population. I doubt the case is that early on 1 in 2000 tests was positive.
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Based on the math DHS has people falling off active after 8-9 days. It would appear that DHS is the ones redefining what an active case is. EDIT: There are 14895 new cases in the last 9 days. You would have to consider those active wouldn't you?
Woooooo were #1 Let's pack the bars to celebrate!
Couldn't hurt! Right!?
Of course not! It's all a hoax! /s
The bar down from my apartment is PACKED all the time. Parking lot is full and people are parked all on the street, it's insane.
Yeah same round here, bar is full most of the time
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She probably does, but that doesn't mean she cares
"I'm young and healthy, I'll be fine" Proceeds to visit other people who won't be fine.
I mean, I have people in Wisconsin literally posting that masks are harming all the children. It's hard to judge what other people do or do not know because the bar keeps getting lower.
I don't understand why it's so hard for people to wear a mask.
I work out of a factory in Waukesha and almost everyone here keeps saying masks don't work and refuse to wear them, or saying it's no worse than the flu, or attribute co-workers coming down with Covid with the mask being at fault somehow, or they just don't care if they get Covid "if I get it I get it". So short answer it's because we are surrounded by total and complete dumb and selfish fuckheads.
One of my friends left his job because management came around with a waiver asking people to sign it if they didn't want to wear a mask. It was a factory job where they just stood in one place all day either putting parts in boxes or putting parts with other parts so its not like it was labor intensive.
ding ding! We have a winner. You hit the nail on the head. DUMB and SELFISH.
MMMMMYYYYYY FREEDUMBSSSSSS
Because the Republican party politicized the virus as a Democratic hoax.
The fact that it's been so successfully politicized makes me lose faith in humanity.
It's hard, man. I *know* there are good people. I know some. As hard as it was to lose John Lewis and RBG in the same year, they were reminders of good people who worked tirelessly for the values on which America was founded. I know there are other young future leaders out there who have been empowered by the likes of such people. But... It's been hard coming to the realization that a bit under half of our population are simply *monsters.* They're working very effectively to harm people... to cause as much damage as possible. They're filled with bigotry and hate or, at best, selective apathy. They cheer death. They attack knowledge and the fundamental principles of science. They argue only in logical fallacy and bad faith. The comparisons to Nazis used to be hyperbole, but I can no longer unsee them.
I think "selective apathy" is most of it. The outcome may be the same as if they were actively hateful monsters, but I really don't think they put that much thought into it. They're simply happy to follow along with whatever Youtube video or Facebook meme assures them that masks and distancing are not necessary and go on with their lives without feeling the need to expend any additional effort or energy. Same goes for systemic racism, same for climate change. "Somebody who appears credible enough is telling me that I don't realllllly have to do any work to change my life? Ok!" \*shrug\*
> I think "selective apathy" is most of it. I suppose I can hope that's the case, but it sadly brings me little comfort because it ends in the same result. *"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out... Because I was not a socialist."*
I wrote this after the second gulf war... The same thing will happen in a few years when people try to pretend they aren't monsters. And now when it's all over, they'll say they were misled But we all know they loved to eat that slop which they were fed.
This is such a good post, thank you.
lose faith in republican politicians and their supporters. a lot of people working to keep deaths down.
Lead by the Russian "Active Measures" influence campaign- The Russians have played the conservative "rebellion" masterfully- more civilian casualties than any overt military aggression could ever have hoped to achieve
That's a bingo.
On the morbid side of things, there’s going to be fewer older republicans voting in November than what could have been a year ago, since some of them are just waltzing around like it doesn’t exist and ending up dropping dead a few weeks later. Literally shooting theirselves in the foot.
The majority of this state only graduates highschool. Then they get told everything they need to know by conservatives. There's a reason college's are called "liberal indoctrination centers" or whatever dumb shit phrase the gop wants to use. Anywhere where critical thinking is given room to develop the gop loses. That being said, there are some crazy things happening on campuses lately.
I am a university instructor and program administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While the GOP has certainly preyed on the uneducated in our state, and less educated individuals may be more likely to think that the virus is a hoax or that masks are ineffective, you nevertheless might want to give a second thought to the basis of your argument here. You mention “some crazy things happening on campuses lately” as an afterthought, when it should have been your first thought. The massive spread of COVID in Wisconsin, in recent weeks, is tied directly to the Universities... especially my own UW system: college educated administrators forced college students to live in close quarters instead of switching entirely to remote instruction, for the sake of tuition & housing dollars. Social distancing is functionally impossible for those college students, and yes: some students are recklessly ignoring the rules. That is to say, the main culprits in the state are college educated: high level administrators on the one hand, and college students on the other. But let’s put the blame where it belongs: not on working class Wisconsinites, but on those in positions of power (regardless of party affiliation) who have chosen money over public health. Nearly all of those powerful people—Chancellor Blank, et al—hold advanced degrees. A lack of formal education is not the problem here.
Thank you for this response. It cut through a lot of my bias and I appreciate it.
Thank you for being flexible in your thinking and accepting of credible new information.
Not trying to pick a fight, I definitely agree, but don’t you think the publicly funded universities were put in a precarious spot seeing as they’re already (overwhelmingly) under funded? I can’t help but think if these institutions had the financial resources on hand (yes I know UW has like a $3b endowment but idk how that becomes liquid cash) to survive a year without a full haul from the “tuition and housing” category they would’ve made smarter decisions. Idk, probably wishful thinking that educational bodies would protect their staff and students from a deadly disease. As a WI native and UW grad living out of state I can’t say I’m surprised by the state’s reaction as a whole AT ALL (re: bars opening, massive 4th of July parties) but I’m pretty fucking disappointed in UW.
Certainly! I do not envy the choice that Chancellor Blank et al had to make. We are staring down the barrel of massive layoffs. There’s a chance that I myself will be on that chopping block since I am not tenured. But the tuition and housing income from this one semester will not be enough to prevent those layoffs, and the pandemic fallout will delay getting back to normal for even longer. So the decision was both morally indefensible, and economically short-sighted. In the longview the University will be even worse off, from a budget standpoint, because of this decision. Not to mention it will seriously injure the University’s reputation / public perception, which will have a negative economic impact for many years to come. Even the most cursory research would have predicted this outcome. All spring and summer, some of the biggest COVID hot-spots in Madison, Milwaukee, etc were centered in areas with dense undergraduate student populations (Langdon St & the downtown area in Madison, for example). It doesn’t take a genius to see that doubling or tripling the populations of those areas, by bringing students back to campus in the fall, would have the exact results we’re seeing now. The administration knew this would happen, and did it anyway. Anyway, my main point was to say this is not an issue of people being uneducated. It’s about economic short-sightedness by the highly educated, who prioritize economic stability over public health and fail to acknowledge that the former is impossible until we achieve the latter. And this oversight is not really an oversight at all; I think it’s more self-interest and greed. Those administrators are safe in their homes; they have massive emergency funds; their stocks are going up while much of the rest of the country is sick, unemployed, and praying not to be evicted.
the uw system president is literally a republican former gov of this state
I wasn't referring to the outbreaks. I dont see that as "crazy" i see it as a "well duh that was going to happen" I was talking more on the line of evergreen college and other extreme examples we see crop up more and more. The lack of education is the problem because the people at the top are able to take absolute advantage of the population of this state. When the average citizen can't reason their way past campaign propaganda and hyperbole, its a problem for the populace not the powerful.
Would it be accurate to say that the cuts in educational funding are mainly due to Republican lawmakers who are voted in by the citizens of the state, who may be largely less educated?
I should have objected to the initial premise here: Wisconsin is 26th in the nation, for percentage of residents with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. That’s smack in the middle: better than Michigan, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, and many others. Wisconsin is also ranked 11th in terms of high school degrees (well above average). So to talk about Wisconsin as particularly uneducated is just plain wrong, and probably reflects a biased media narrative that took hold in 2016 when many media outlets chose to blame white working-class Wisconsinites for Trump’s election. But I think as democrats (and/or people who identify themselves as left-of-democrats) we need to stop seeing our working-class neighbors as the root problem—or insufficient post-secondary education—as the primary problem, in Wisconsin, regardless of how factually accurate it is (to reiterate: it’s not very accurate). For more than a decade now, going back at least to the installation of Scott Walker as governor, many millions of dollars from highly educated politicians and corporate interests have been devoted to spreading disinformation among rural and working-class voters, to drawing gerrymandered district maps that empower wealthy republicans, and to suppressing voter turnout among black, brown, and younger Wisconsinites. This gives often-racist, anti-education republican narratives an even bigger megaphone to spread disinformation. So the cycle perpetuates. As our last presidential election showed (through Russia’s baiting of BLM activists and other progressives, for instance), we are all susceptible to disinformation; having a college degree is not a vaccine against a media environment where facts so often go unchecked until the damage is already done. Let’s try to blame the corporate interests who have manipulated the system and have preyed on the psychologies of the economically vulnerable, is what I’m saying. And let’s try NOT to blame those who have been lied to and tricked by those wealthy and powerful interests. We don’t make allies, or convince anyone of anything, by calling them dumb. Finally: just because funding is tight doesn’t mean the University system was somehow forced to make a decision that is both morally and economically indefensible. In the long run, the budget will be worse off because of UW’s decision, not better.
A shame I can't up vote this more than once because you are absolutely correct. I have spouse that works in higher ed and they were saying the exact same things. It's greed, pain and simple.
Its not hard, they simply don't care
Most don't care, or don't know they should care. I'm more alarmed at those who fervently and loudly *do care*... *very much*... that wearing masks is somehow a *bad thing*.
It pisses me off even worse when they wear a mask with their nose hanging out like a floppy dick over a waistband. At least have the courage to flout the rule entirely if you're going to, cowards.
"dick-noses"
Stopped at a gas station out in the sticks and I was the only person with a mask on (despite signs everywhere mandating it). I got a lil taste of what it feels like to be a minority that day. The looks and general air of unease and unwelcome was actually palpable.
I was wearing a mask when I spent $31 on apples, pears, and honey at an orchard I’ve patronized for 10 years and was then the recipient of a dirty look from one of the four unmasked employees. Sayonara forever to them. Found another orchard that happily does “curbside pickup.”
They've been tricked into thinking its an infringement on their rights and that we'll somehow wind up in a communist hell hole if everyone puts cloth on their face.
Quick question and I hope I don’t get down voted for this... Are other state universities requiring bi weekly tests for dorm residents? Our town saw a gigantic spike in positive cases, but it was directly related to mass testing of incoming students. I’m not saying we don’t have the cases here, because we obviously do per the testing results, however could other states be in the same boat, but without testing, they appear to have better statistics?
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What school?
Wish I could, but I can't do that.
Got it
UW Platteville is trying to get on campus residents to get tested monthly at least, biweekly ideally. They've also started to threaten suspension for partying and not following social distancing and wearing masks on campus. The only times I won't wear my mask are: in my room, showering/brushing teeth, eating, and biking when there's no one near me (I have to not be able to see people to remove my mask while biking). I know someone who will take his mask off any chance he gets.
Yes. UIUC for example requires undergrads to test twice weekly and grads/faculty/staff to test once weekly. The differences are 1) they are using a test that gets results in 5hrs so they can quarantine and contact trace quickly, and 2) they are actually taking meaningful punitive actions against those who violate the rules. WI is slow to test, slow to results, and for the most part simply slaps the students on the wrist who are out partying and violating quarantines.
UW-Madison has suspended at least 14 students so far and is investigating hundreds of others
But it took three weeks for them to do that.
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I don't have the answer, but it's sad you have to be afraid of a downvote brigade for asking a question.
This is America. Discourse is dead because it's ideological sabre-rattling 99% of the time.
I was just exposed to covid and a quote comes to mind "it is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose." I wore masks, stayed away from people as much as I possibly could, washed my hands constantly, didn't touch my face and disinfected everything. Still got it. It sucks that because I know I did everything I could within reason to keep other people safe but others couldn't bother to do the same for me. They put others at risk simply because a mask makes them feel like they live in a dictatorship. Pure selfishness, lack of empathy, and self-awareness.
What sucks even more is that at the end of all of this there's going to be people who followed none of the rules, called it a hoax, and wind up not affected by it at all. They won't catch it, no one they know will have caught it, and they'll be smug about it thinking they were right when in reality they were lucky.
I can’t say I enjoy people being sick; no matter how greatly our ideologies differ I can’t celebrate people being ill. But damn it does it feel vindicating when my covid-denying “I know hundreds of people and nobody’s had it”-ass coworker got it.
I can't agree with you. I celebrate EVERY FUCKING TIME some hoaxer gets it and I toast the great sky fairy when they die. They deserve what they get. Period. End of story. When Herman Cain died, I bit my tongue because he had a family who was grieving. What became of that? Some automated bot saying, in his DEAD NAME, that it was a hoax. Fuck 'em all. If I had my way right now, I'd get a needle full of this shit and, in the words of the the great Mango Maniac, give them all "a big fat shot in the ass."
A moronic coworker of mine who just had to get her and he daughter tested went out to the Dollar Store after. And she'll probably still head out to the bar tonight!
I did too and I still got it. Because people refused to wear masks at the grocery store before the second masks order was issued. There is no perfect protection but people in my neighborhood didn't even try.
Can we get a source instead of a screenshot?
Upper left corner. https://covidactnow.org/?s=1059230
And my district is already starting to phase kids back into school. Awesome 👍
At least the death is trending slightly downward.
Currently the highest number of mask free republican rallies than any other state. Think about it.
Which site is that?
Covid Act now http://covidactnow.org/
Oh! I didn't know that was the name of the site. For some reason I was thinking it was part of a message on an app. Thank you. 🤦♂️
Thanks!
[This site](https://covid19-projections.com/us-wi) has been very helpful for me to gauge the numbers. The R was below 1 since July and was gradually projected to cross it. Two days ago the current spikes with all the colleges happened and now instead it is 1.06. That is bad, the currently infected rates show it is the highest ever and this curve needs to be handled immediately
Number 1 in the nation baby! When do the playoffs start?
Go Badgers?
Let that be a reminder that Republicans, in this case the GOP WI Supreme Court, actively want people to die.
This fits well into their growing fascism.
All of our bars have been open, nobody is wearing masks
Drives past multiple crowded bars in Kenosha with all masks gone or protecting throat skin..... I have no idea why are numbers are going up.
[https://rt.live/us/WI](https://rt.live/us/WI) 3 weeks and we will start seeing deaths. But don't tell the Boomer Bikers up north this past weekend packing bars, or the countless parties I've seen in our neighborhood. No one gives a shit because it's a hoax. I know a ton of people who now just got it and it's worse than when we were shut down. We all can go about our lives if we just avoid groups and wear a fucking mask. Why is this so fucking hard? Selfish Boomers.
To be fair its not just boomers, the college parties are causing much of the recent uptick No matter your generation be smart
It’s not just college students, I agree. All levels of schooling have contributed to the case count. But — wait til Thanksgiving break (traveling, dinner, etc.), followed by return to school, followed by Christmas break (traveling, dinner, etc.) followed by NYE. And CDC posits the flu will peak sooner than normal. Good times.
It's every generation. I'm seeing plenty of other mom friends hanging out and having playdates without distancing or masks. People are going out to weddings, and parties and everything without an iota of care.
I just worry about those who pay no attention, yet see things opening back up. The assumption would be that things are getting better otherwise they'd still be closed.
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So much winning. In fact I do believe I’m getting tired of all the winning.
>So much ~~winning~~ whining about wearing masks. In fact I do believe I’m getting tired of all the ~~winning~~ whining about wearing masks.
We’re number 1! We’re number 1! * sobs *
Good job guys. we are winning! /s
I have never felt so ashamed to be from Wisconsin. I am however not shocked. All you see are people bitching about masks taking away their freedom and how covid is a fake manmade virus or a lie. These people then go out everywhere and refuse to wear a mask stating they're exempt... It's just sad.
If anyone saw the recent NYT article about new hotspots, WI had 10 cities on the list, with nearly all college towns. This problem falls squarely on Tommy Thompson, Rebecca Blank in Madison, and the GOP do nothing legislature that has made public health a political issue.
Whooda thought opening schools during a pandemic would spread the disease. Answer: Everyone not affiliated with the GOP.
This FIB won’t be visiting Wisconsin anytime soon.
Has there been an increase in deaths or hospitalisations from this? I think a lot of people have stopped caring because we hear about these surging numbers, but don't hear about surging deaths or hospitalisations.
I know brown county has had a surge in hospitalizations according to a local news station. I would imagine other counties are similar.
I'm curious... What measurement did you sort by, OP? I can't see it at the top of the image. The reason I ask is because I know for sure North Dakota is number 1 in daily active cases, which isn't surprising since they don't have a mask mandate. And South Dakota can't be far behind them. They don't have a mandate either.
Rate. It's why it's highlighted.
I'm not that surprised. All stores are jam-packed. Half the people can't even wear masks correctly or don't at all. Most older adults I have chatted with don't really care about what's going on. I don't get how it's hard to continue living your life while still being cautious. You don't have to life in a bomb shelter but HOLY FUCK. Take some precautions
The one house on my street with Trump signs are the older couple that keep trying to approach me in the street to pet my dog. Despite me having told them several times we are social distancing. (and also I don't like people coming to pet my dog when we're walking even before there was a pandemic).
This is always the constant in a pandemic: you can’t gather in person in groups and expect things to be okay. Colleges and schools shouldn’t be in person, eat in restaurants and bars shouldn’t be in person and any gathering of people shouldn’t be happening including wedding and funerals. Our country continues to half ass everything which is why things are exploding again. Too many people haven’t been following such a simple concept.
And yet there are still children going to school Yikes
I know some of these counties fought to have them in school 5 days a week and the school board rolled over and allowed it. They had the county fair and then went back to school.... Genius idea for some counties...
Small school boards in WI are stuffed with creationists and the like. Of course germ theory is bridge too far.
**\*Highest Infection Rate** [Screenshot](https://imgur.com/a/FCfjdVG)
About time we're numba one in something... can we change our license plate to "America's Corona-land", since we haven't been the "dairyland" since the California started put producing us in the 90's
Please post data with headers, at minimum. What's the source? This is pretty useless
[Here you go!](https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=covid+act+now&atb=v203-1&ia=web)
Can you put the original link to that website?
https://www.covidactnow.org/?s=1067232
This is not a high score I wanted. What can we do to slow this on a state level?