Health Officials Urge Vaccines And Masks

The statewide COVID-19 advisory issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services includes mask wearing in public spaces.

Marathon County Public Health Information Officer Aaron Ruff says it can help slow the spread.

”We continue to support the DHS advisory that says everyone should wear a well-fitting mask at all public indoor settings.”

The advisory was issued as Wisconsin hospitals are inundated with a wave of mostly unvaccinated COVID patients. The surge is mostly attributable to the Delta variant, but the new Omicron strain has been confirmed in the state.

According to data on the DHS COVID-19 website, fewer than 54 percent of eligible Marathon County residents have completed the vaccine series.