WINNEBAGO CO., Wis. (NBC 26) -- Health officials at the Winnebago County Health Department say there's been a rapid uptick in coronavirus cases, particularly among people in their twenties.
Doug Gieryn, the director and health officer at Winnebago County Public Health, said a large number of those cases are in Oshkosh. He said they started to see an upward trend about a week after the Safer at Home order lifted.
Through investigations, Gieryn said they started to see how transmission might be occurring among the 20 to 29 year old age group. He said they saw a lack of physical distancing, more gatherings especially over holidays like Memorial Day, and also more people out in the community at places like restaurants and taverns.
Gieryn said even though the weather is nicer and summer is here, it's still important to take precautions to keep things under control until a vaccine is available.
"We certainly understand that at 20 to 29 years old, you feel like this isn't going to be a serious consequence for you if you get the disease, but if you do get it, and sometimes you get it and you don't know it, you can give it to somebody else and that can have a really bad consequence," added Gieryn.
Gieryn said he met with the Tavern League this week to talk about their establishments and what can be done to help prevent spread. He said they also have connected with the university in messaging students.
Dr. Jennifer Frank, the Chief Medical Officer at ThedaCare, said the surge in Winnebago County seems to be tied to some Memorial Day gatherings.
She said going to bars or restaurants where you are in close proximity with other people is still not advised. She added it's important to maintain a 6 foot distance from others who aren't part of your household.
As for testing, Dr. Frank said both at the state level and at ThedaCare, the number of cases has been going up, as has the percentage of positive tests. She said the increase in cases in Winnebago County is not solely related to testing. She said more people have been getting tested, for example, before surgery and those tests are more likely to be negative.
Dr. Frank also said people are still testing positive without symptoms. She said asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread can occur.
Experts encourage people to wear masks, social distance, and if you're feeling sick, get tested.
