DHS confirms second coronavirus case

A second Wisconsinite has tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to a Monday statement from the Department of Health Services.

DHS made the announcement with the Pierce County Public Health Department. The person was exposed to the virus while traveling within the country and is isolated at home.

County health officials are working to determine people who’ve been in contact with the patient to isolate and quarantine them and test those with symptoms.

“With a second confirmed case in our state, we continue to urge state residents to take precautions to avoid illness,” State Health Officer Jeanne Ayers said in a statement.

The first person with coronavirus in Wisconsin was cleared last month after testing negative twice for it.

Two commercial labs are also available to test for coronavirus at the request of Wisconsin healthcare providers, health officials said Monday.

The labs – Quest and LabCorp – are in addition to the Wisconsin State Laboratory for Hygiene and the Milwaukee Health Department.

That’s likely to increase the number of people tested for the virus in the state “substantially,” given changes expanding the scope of testing, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, Department of Health Services deputy secretary.

“While we understand that the increased number of tests may seem alarming, tests don’t necessarily mean infections,” she said. “Having more people tested helps out efforts and the efforts of our local and tribal health officers to contain the spread of COVID-19 if or when a test result is positive.”

Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer at the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases, said the agency will no longer have to sign off on the individual level before testing can be submitted. Rather, clinicians should use their judgment to decide whether to test, he said.

Westergaard said their goal is to be more aggressive in finding cases and responding if they’re present in Wisconsin to prevent further spread.

Meanwhile, the Department of Financial Institutions is warning investors to be “wary of con artists seeking to capitalize on fear and uncertainty.”

Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld said that con artists use current events to “cloak their schemes with an air of immediacy and legitimacy.” She recommended that investors ask if the salesperson and the security are registered.

This article first appeared in the Wisconsin Health News daily email newsletter. Sign up for your free trial here.