12 May Opinion: As we face the coronavirus, here’s prescription for a healthier Wisconsin in the COVID-19 era

By Dr. Robert Golden and Dr. Jonathan Temte, UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Four months ago, few of us had heard of COVID-19.

Three months ago, on Jan. 29, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health hosted an expert panel on this emerging threat.  A few days later, a person in Dane County was diagnosed with COVID-19 — Wisconsin’s first case.

By mid-March, we had 100 identified cases in Wisconsin, the first deaths had occurred, and schools were closed.  One week later, the “Safer at Home” executive order was issued.

As of Thursday afternoon, Wisconsin had seen more than 9,200 cases and 374 deaths due to COVID-19.

Despite this horrible toll, Wisconsin has fared relatively well compared with other areas in the country. Early implementation of social distancing and other public health interventions have resulted in fewer people becoming ill from COVID-19 and many fewer deaths than anticipated, at least for now. Read more …