Viral cases in Milwaukee County are on the rise; British variant, children of concern

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Department of Health is opening COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone 16 and older at its two boarding clinics.

Previously, the sites at North Division High School and South Division High School only fired shots at residents of ten selected zip codes.

Local health leaders have said that cases are not only on the rise, but that the virus could affect children more than ever before.

Milwaukee County’s latest COVID-19 number of cases shows an average of 117 new infections per day – almost a 100% increase over the past three weeks.

Dr. Ben Weston at the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management said the increase was likely due to the B.1.1.7 – or British variant – becoming widespread. He said the new strain is 50% more contagious and 60% worse than the original virus.

“If you become infected with the new variant today, you’re probably 60% more likely to be hospitalized or die from the infection,” Weston said.

The most disturbing, preliminary data shows that children can easily transmit the new strain. Just this week, a B.1.1.7 outbreak was linked to a daycare in Dane County.

“Cases like the Dane County case and others like it across the country are certainly alarming,” Weston said.

Health officials said the outbreak did not affect local health orders.

“Many of our child care centers were open and everyone had safety plans in place, including in our schools,” said Kirsten Johnson, Milwaukee’s health commissioner. “We feel fairly confident about the mitigation measures that are in place, also with the opening of MPS.”

Rather, they say the situation underscores the importance of vaccination.

“The one thing all the vaccines have in common is the efficiency in hospitalization and death. And that’s 100%,” Weston said.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get news reports in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

Doctors said they were not yet sure why children could be more affected by the B.1.1.7 strain compared to the normal strain, against which they were largely protected.

They expect more information on the topic to appear soon. The good news so far is that infections in children have been mild.