OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- 584.
That's how many schools and child care centers the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is actively investigating for Covid-19.
"We do what are called disease investigations," DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said. "That's basically the interview we do with anybody who's Covid positive and when we find clusters of Covid cases."
When two or more students or staff members test positive for Covid at a school within 14 days, the DHS says it counts as an 'outbreak.' Then, it launches an investigation into how it happened and how it can be prevented.
"The local health department follows up with those institutions and provides technical consultation and assistance and guidance," Willems Van Dijk said.
According to the latest numbers, there are 27 such active investigations in Brown County, seven in Winnebago County and 59 in Outagamie County.
Some worry about the state's investigations.
"My friend just the other week was put on quarantine because someone in her class got Covid," Neenah High School junior Morgan Feltz said. "So then, the entire class is shut down and anyone in contact with that class."
Others believe spread is not a significant problem.
"To me, what's more important is my child being given a proper education than worrying about a 0.08-percent chance of getting a disease that she will, 99 percent of the time, recover from," said Appleton Area School District parent Sheri Fochs Hartzheim.
And the DHS says it's found most spread occurs outside of schools.
"Much of it, when you do that kind of investigation, has been linked to either contact among students in extracurricular activities or out-of-school activities like play dates [or] sleepovers," Willems Van Dijk said.
But when that case comes into a school, it could spread and a DHS investigation could soon follow.
