Milwaukee COVID case reporting changes; what residents should know
Milwaukee Health Department (MHD)
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Health Department is no longer required to report all COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, Nov. 1 – only cases associated with a hospitalization or pediatric death are now required to be reported in Wisconsin.
Before Wednesday's change, all COVID-19 testing completed in a clinical laboratory was reportable to the Milwaukee Health Department and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services within 24 hours. That information was available to the public via regularly updated dashboards.
The health department said, Wisconsin residents have turned to self-testing as their primary method – significantly reducing the number of laboratory-based testing.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Tracking COVID data
Moving forward, the health department's COVID-19 surveillance will focus on hospitalization admission data and wastewater surveillance. This is an approach that will align with the surveillance for the flu virus, the health department said.
Wastewater monitoring is one of the main tools in tracking COVID-19, health officials said, as the virus can be detected in fecal matter shortly after a person is infected with the virus – even before symptoms occur. Wastewater monitoring may allow public health officials to respond and take steps to avoid COVID-19 surges or hospitalizations, especially at times of high transmission.
The Milwaukee Health Department said it "strongly encourages" residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses like flu and RSV. The new 2023/2024 COVID-19 vaccine is free for eligible individuals at Milwaukee Health Department Clinics and also available at pharmacies and health care providers.