[Madison, Wisc…] The John K. MacIver Institute asked Governor Tony Evers Friday to share key information and data that he has apparently used in his decision-making process to issue the shelter-in-place order, Safer at Home. The Evers Administration has not released information on the number of individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 and require hospitalization. To date, the Evers Administration has only released a regular update on the number of individuals tested and the number of individuals who have passed away.
The Evers Administration has also failed to release publicly the name of specific model or models they used to predict that between 440 – 1,500 Wisconsinites would die by April 8th “if we continued on the current path” or any documentation from that exercise to show the public how they arrived at their range.
“Gov. Evers, now more than ever during the Covid-19 public health emergency, the Wisconsin pubic has the right to know what data and information goes into the decisions you are making for our state,” commented Brett Healy, President of the MacIver Institute. “You are exercising an incredible power in the public health emergency order to fight this threat but that does not mean you should be less-transparent with your constituents. In fact, in order to inspire confidence in you, your administration and your plan to deal with this threat, you should share, with the public, all the public information and data you are utilizing. Right now, because the public cannot see this information, there is quite a bit of confusion about your Safer at Home order and frustration about what it means for our state.”
“Gov. Evers, we know you believe in science. We are asking you to show Wisconsinites at your press conference this afternoon the science you are using to make these decisions,” said Healy.
The hospitalization rate of positive test cases is key. Some have predicted that Covid-19 will overwhelm our hospitals and our health care system but we will not know if that is happening here in Wisconsin unless the Evers Administration track in real-time the number of individuals who have a serious-enough case of the virus that he/she requires hospitalization.
Later today at 1:30 pm, Gov. Evers will hold a regularly-scheduled press conference with DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. The Wisconsin public can watch the press conference at the DHS YouTube page or at WisconsinEye.
“Many of our friends and neighbors will lose their jobs in the near future. Many of our small businesses will not survive until April 24th and will be forced to close forever. The decisions you are making right now, without full transparency, will have a dramatic impact on the Wisconsin way of life and the livelihoods of millions of Wisconsinites. Wisconsinites deserve access to all the information and data that you have used to reach these decisions Gov. Evers”, Healy said.
