• The Winnebago County Health Department issued a face mask order for the Winnebago Health Department jurisdiction which would go into effect if Governor Evers' face mask order is overturned by the State Legislature. The order was released February 16 and will remain advisory until affirmed by a majority of the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. The Board is set to vote on this order at their next meeting on February 23, 2021. Read full press release here.

• On February 10, 2021, CDC issued updated quarantine guidance for vaccinated persons, specifying that fully vaccinated people who meet certain criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to someone with COVID-19. Specifically, vaccinated people with an exposure to someone with COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet all of the following criteria:
• Are fully vaccinated (i.e., exposure occurs ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine)
• Are within 90 days following receipt of the last dose in the series
• Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure

• Systemic signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, and joint pain are more common after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination, and anecdotal evidence is emerging that they may be particularly robust among HCP who have previously recovered from COVID-19. At this time, CDC and DHS continue to recommend that all HCP be offered COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of prior infection history. Preliminary data from mRNA COVID-19 vaccine trials indicate that most systemic post-vaccination signs and symptoms are mild to moderate in severity, occur within the first three days of vaccination (the day of vaccination and following two days, with most occurring the day after vaccination), resolve within 1-2 days of onset, and are more frequent and severe among younger persons compared to those who are older (>55 years). Below are the frequencies of vaccine side effects observed in clinical trials.
• Pfizer-BioNTech: pain at the injection site (84.1%), fatigue (62.9%), headache (55.1%), muscle pain (38.3%), chills (31.9%), joint pain (23.6%), fever (14.2%), injection site swelling (10.5%), injection site redness (9.5%), nausea (1.1%), malaise (0.5%), and lymphadenopathy (0.3%).
• Moderna: pain at the injection site (92.0%), fatigue (70.0%), headache (64.7%), muscle pain (61.5%), chills (45.4%), joint pain (46.4%), nausea/vomiting (23.0%), axillary swelling/tenderness (19.8%), fever (15.5%), injection site swelling (14.7%), and injection site redness (10.0%).

• On February 6, DHS and laboratory partners identified a second case of variant strain B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2. This variant was first discovered to be circulating widely in England during November and December of 2020. The first case of variant strain B.1.1.7 in Wisconsin was detected on January 12, 2021. Based on epidemiologic and modeling studies, researchers believe that this new strain spreads more rapidly and easily than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. There is some evidence emerging that the new strain may cause an increased risk of death. The full press release is available here.

• Gov. Evers' Budget to Include More Than $150 Million investment in Critical Mental Health Services for Wisconsinites, Expand BadgerCare

• DHS COVID-19 Information for Adults in Long-Term Care Programs webpage has been updated:
• New Vaccine Section
• Link to COVID-19 Vaccine Information in Plan Language guide created by The Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center

• Testing Reminders: 
• Testing remains an important tool in the fight against COVID-19. Information about community testing sites across the state is available here and testing through Wisconsin's At-Home Collection program is available here. Testing sites available within Winnebago County can be found here.
• BinaxNow tests can be redistributed using this survey

• After February 22nd, vaccinators should be aware that they will be expected to get 6 doses out of the Pfizer vials. Vaccine received the week of February 22nd and after will reflect the 6th doses per vial in your WIR inventory. This will happen automatically and no action is needed from providers. Vaccine received before February 22nd will be considered 5-dose vials and no modification to your inventory is needed.

• It is imperative that vaccinators mitigate vaccine wastage to the best of their ability. There are several best practices to do so.

1. Scheduling Practices: Schedule vaccination appointments in accordance with your vaccine inventory and your clinics’ anticipated patient throughput.
2. Estimate your Population Correctly: Accurately estimate how many doses you need. If possible, prior to a vaccination clinic, screen your patients for eligibility and acceptance and plan accordingly for how many doses you will need.
3. Estimate Doses Needed Correctly: If you are consistently drawing up the extra doses out of Moderna vials (e.g., the 11^th dose), factor that into your scheduling practices.
4. Only Open Vials as Needed: Make sure you only have one vial open at any given time despite having multiple vaccinators working concurrently at a clinic.

• As of March 1, additional groups will become eligible, many based on their employment. DHS encourages vaccinators to begin to think about how they will determine proof of eligibility and prepare an attestation form for those who are not able to produce proof. Suggested documents include pay stubs, ID cards, or letters/communications on letterhead from employers. If individuals are not able to provide proof, request they sign an attestation form. Do not turn them away. This form is available in English and Spanish.

• New from CDC:
• Improve How Your Mask Protects You (now includes info on layering masks)
• Understanding the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination
• Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership Program FAQs
• Pharmacies Participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
• MMWR:
• First Identified Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.1.7 in Minnesota — December 2020–January 2021"
• Detection of B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 Variant Strain — Zambia, December 2020
• Demographic Characteristics of Persons Vaccinated during the First Month of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program
• Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks to Improve Performance and Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Exposure, 2021
• Decline in COVID-19 Hospitalization Growth Rates Associated with Statewide Mask Mandates--10 States, March-October 2020
• Observed Face Mask Use at Six Universities--United States, September-November 2020
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence of Stress and Worry, Mental Health Conditions, and Increased Substance Use Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic--United States, April and May 2020

• DHS released a new data dashboard on the COVID-19 vaccine data page that gives a comprehensive overview of vaccine administration throughout the state. The dashboard will replace several visualizations on the data page that chronicle series completion as well as vaccine administration by age groups and sex. The data from those visualizations is contained within the new dashboard along with data by county, healthcare emergency readiness coalition (HERC) region, race, ethnicity, and total vaccines administered by week. 

• National CDC Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine, February 22 - 24

• Communicating COVID-19 vaccine messages: Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 12-1pm

• Assisted Living Forum- Tuesday, March 9, March 23, April 6, April 20, 2021 from 10:00- 11:30 a.m
• Join Zoom Meeting (click this link to go straight to the room without needing to enter the meeting ID and password)
• Meeting ID: 941 6620 8285
• Phone: +1 301 715 8592

• Thursdays, 10:30 AM-12 PM - DHS Long-Term Care Webinar
• Join Zoom Meeting (click this link to go straight to the room without needing to enter the meeting ID and password)
• Meeting ID: 948 1795 1711 / Password: covid19
• Phone: (312) 626-6799 / Enter # if asked for participant ID
• The webinar will be recorded and posted to the here under Resources.

• Bi-weekly on Fridays, 7 AM - DHS Weekly COVID-19 Webinar for Health Care and Nursing Home Providers (Upcoming date: February 19)
• Click here to join the webinar
• Or dial:  312 626 6799 or 646 558 8656
• Webinar ID: 233 994 680
• Webinars are held on the first and third Fridays of the month
• Access recordings of previous COVID-19 provider webinars here.

• Fridays, 10 AM - COVID-19 Vaccination stakeholder webinar
• Once you register for this weekly webinar, you can use the same link to join each Friday at 10 AM
• View the recordings of past webinars here