The Appleton Common Council met 04/21/2021. Health Officer Kurt Eggebrecht gave a Covid 19 update.
He said that he was really pleased that, since the last time they met, the city had seen a decrease in cases. Two weeks prior they had had 116 new weekly cases. This most recent week had seen only 78 new cases. The trajectory is going the way he wanted to see. The two week burden, however, was still in the High level of 258.
He said that testing is important and testing is available at multiple locations within the community including National Guard site. They are very pleased to have the National Guard’s assistance. Testing continues to be an important asset that allows them to do contact tracing.
He then reviewed the vaccination rates as of Tuesday, 04/20/2021. In Calumet County 26% of the vaccine eligible population (anyone who is 16 or older) has been fully vaccinated In Winnebago and Outagamie Counties that number is 27%. At the state level it’s 28%. In Appleton itself, 34% of vaccine eligible residents are currently fully vaccinated.
The percentage of the population that has had at least one dose is 36% in Calumet County, 38% in Winnebago County, 39% in Outagamie County, and 40% statewide. In Appleton, that number is 48%
He said they were pleased with how things were going at the vaccination clinic at the Expo Center. As of 04/21/2021 they were very close to having administered 27,000 vaccination doses. They will be holding a vaccine clinic this Saturday 04/27/2021 and will give second doses for the people who attend that on Saturday May 14.
He then opened the floor up for question.
Alderperson Martin (District 4) said he had the privilege of getting his second shot that day, so his fellow Council members would soon be able to see him in person. He couldn’t say how impressed he was with the multitude of volunteers who came together for the clinic. He applauded them all.
Alderperson Maiyoua Thao (District 7) said she was starting to see some businesses remove their mask requirements and people not wearing masks in public. She wondered how they could continue to encourage the community to continue to use masks until we are at a point where it is safe to not use masks.
Health Officer Eggebrecht said that it’s really important that people continue to wear masks especially in public. He said we know that people are vaccinated. If your coworkers are completely vaccinated and you’re all in one workplace, the risk of transmission is low because you’re all protected. He stressed that the vaccines are extremely effective, but, even if you are vaccinated, if you go into a public setting it’s appropriate and recommended that you continue to wear a mask because you don’t know who has been vaccinated. By wearing a mask, you’re protecting other people as much as yourself. The Health Department really encourages the use of masks and will “reeducate people” when they are made aware of that [I wasn’t sure if “that” meant businesses not requiring masks or individuals not wearing them] so that they understand how the disease is spread. He stated that it’s an airborne illness and wearing a mask will prevent many of the droplets which carry the virus from being transmitted to other people.
Alderperson William Siebers (District 1) wanted to know if enthusiasm for getting the vaccine was decreasing, though he wasn’t sure if “enthusiasm” was the correct word to use.
Health Officer Eggebrecht said they were seeing a plateauing of interest. Half the population has received at least their first dose. He said you could think of people on a continuum of readiness. Some were ready early on, and now we’ve reached the point where people are in either the contemplation stage or pre-contemplation stage and they need a little encouragement. They may have some fears or unknown concerns about needles that they can talk to somebody about to help handle. On the other end of the continuum are those that will probably never get the vaccine. He said about 80% of Appleton’s 65+ population has been vaccinated. He didn’t think it would go much higher. “I think 80% is probably a realistic number to expect.”
For Appleton’s entire vaccine eligible population almost 50% have received at least the first dose. Now there needs to be encouragement. He told the Alderrpersons to let their families and friends know there is no cost involved. This vaccine is completely paid for by tax dollars. There’s no medical card necessary. Valley Transit is allowing free transportation. They’ve tried to remove as many barriers as possible.
He said that anything they can do collectively as a community to try to encourage vaccination is really important. As Appleton’s vaccination rates go up, our case counts will follow and go down. When they look at the groups of people who have been vaccinated, two weeks after vaccinations their case numbers drop off a cliff.
He reiterated that these are highly effective vaccines. The people that are getting and testing positive are 16-40 which is the age group that is not yet getting vaccinated. That is where the virus is being opportunistic.
Alderperson Michael Smith (District 10) asked, regarding vaccination rates, a number of people have had the virus and recovered. There are reports either way–some saying that, in that case, you don’t need to be vaccinated and some saying you should get vaccinated. He asked if they were able to factor the people who have had the virus into the vaccination numbers.
Health Officer Eggebrecht said that at that point, Appleton had had 8,622 cases. They know there’s a significant number beyond that that never went in to get tested. By their estimates, as much as 30% of Appleton’s population could have been exposed–some without even knowing it. The question is how long does that immunity last? They know that once someone becomes ill they’re immune for at least 3 months. But, they’re now seeing in parts of the state that, with the new variants, people who had confirmed Covid cases are now contracting the illness again. Therefore, even if a person has had the virus m, they’re encouraged to get vaccinated because that will give longer term immunity.
View full Common Council meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=853491&GUID=7683F31F-266E-4E28-ACA6-6B593992635A&Options=info|&Search=
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