Data Notes for the Week of April 22

Read Data Snapshot

If you’re new to the data snapshot, we publish a weekly summary of the status for each of our metrics (you can find past issues on our data and metrics page). The data below are from April 5 to April 18.

There was a decrease in cases during this 14-day period.

11% of cases were UW students or staff and 66% of tests were conducted by UW’s University Health Services (UHS). When excluding cases and tests from UHS, Dane County still has a low percent positivity of 3.2%.

Over the past four weeks, cases have increased among children ages 12-17 and among adults ages 18-22 and 40-49.

Our chart on page five of the Snapshot outlines cases among each group compared to the prior two weeks.

It’s important for anyone—including children—who have symptoms or had an exposure to get tested. The community test site at Alliant Energy Center can now test children as young as 12 months old.

COVID-19 is still circulating and some people are still having severe outcomes. We all need to do our part to mask up, distance, and get vaccinated. If you’re at a gathering, keep your distance and gather outside. Wear a mask in public spaces and when around children and people who are unvaccinated. Because children under 16 don’t have the opportunity to get vaccinated, it’s critical their parents, caregivers, teachers, coaches, and family friends get vaccinated as soon as they’re able. It’s now easier than ever to book an appointment at Alliant Energy Center, and we have thousands of appointments available for next week.

Over two in three vaccine-eligible Dane County residents have at least one dose of vaccine.

67% of eligible Dane County residents (those that are age 16+) have received at least one dose of vaccine. 38.8% of total residents have completed their vaccine series and 55.3% of total residents have at least one dose of vaccine. 92.1% of Dane County residents age 65+ have received at least one dose of vaccine and 86.7% have completed their series.

We don’t know exactly what percentage of our population will need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity, but in age groups with high vaccination rates, we have seen a decline in cases over time. Page four of the snapshot shows cases and vaccination rates by age group.

Based on our current 7-day average of 2,564 newly vaccinated people per day, we could expect 80% of the eligible Dane County population to have at least one dose of vaccine by May 14. (Keep in mind this is different from the average of 7,317 doses of vaccine administered each day during this 14-day period that is listed on page one of the Snapshot.)

Visit our website for eligibility details and learn more about where to get vaccinated.

Our blog post this week explains why we look at both the total population and the eligible population when assessing vaccination rates. It's important to look at both these measures to get a more complete picture of herd immunity and vaccine equity, access, and uptake.