MADISON (WKOW) – A COIVD-19 outbreak at a childcare facility in Dane County has resulted in 35 confirmed cases, with very close contacts to be tested in the near future.
Check out all of our coronavirus coverage here.
According to a news release from Madison and Dane County, Public Health, 21 children and child care workers tested positive, along with 14 family members. PHMDC did not identify the center where the outbreak took place.
Tests identified the B.1.1.7 strain that was first detected in the UK as part of the outbreak, but the release said most children diagnosed had only mild symptoms.
“We have informed the center that part of the outbreak includes at least the B.1.1.7 variant, which is probably why we have seen it spread so fast,” said Janel Heinrich, director of the PHMDC. .
Since all Wisconsinites 16 and older are now eligible for vaccines, PHMDC encourages everyone to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
Get tested if you show symptoms, get your children tested if they show symptoms, and get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccines are very effective against serious diseases and death due to COVID-19 infection, even with the most common appearance. variants, ”said Heinrich.
Heinrich says vaccinations for adults also protect children.
“Really encourage people to be vaccinated, provided the cocoon effect is around the child,” she says.
Heinrich notes that the symptoms of COVID-19 or its variants can mimic other conditions.
“Some of the symptoms that appear at a young age are very similar to those you would think are related to allergies,” says Heinrich. “But we do not want people to make any assumptions while knowing that testing and isolation and quarantine can really help reduce the risk.”
Data show that Wisconsin has 139 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, with the case of Minnesota nearly four times as high and Michigan’s total eight times higher than in Wisconsin.