Teacher Julie Welch looks forward to being able to visit with her family safely again, since they have all received vaccinations.
Category: Outbreak Wisconsin
This collaborative series, in partnership with Wisconsin Public Radio, chronicles a variety of Wisconsin residents as they navigate life during the coronavirus pandemic — exposing failing systems and exploring solutions along the way.
‘Season of rebirth’: A Madison ER nurse ponders life after the pandemic
Mariah Clark reflects on the traumas she witnessed while treating COVID-19 patients and losing her own loved ones to the deadly disease.
‘It isn’t as remote and lonely as I thought it would be’: La Crosse teacher Julie Welch finds new ways to connect with students virtually
Online teacher Julie Welch says she’s been surprised by the relationships she’s built with students and their families without even meeting them in person.
‘Where am I going to be in a year?’ Paul Mathis chronicles life with symptoms that won’t go away
The Rib Mountain resident is a ‘long-hauler,’ a person who had a mild case of COVID-19, appeared to recover, but the effects of the disease linger
Wisconsinites share how they are coping and adapting one year into the COVID-19 pandemic
Outbreak Wisconsin participants reflect on a life-changing year and what the future holds.
‘I’m spending my days laughing and teaching’: La Crosse teacher Julie Welch finds unexpected joy in online learning
Julie Welch has taught middle school for 30 years. But she never dreamed of instructing 23 sixth graders over Zoom from the basement of her home.
‘I’ve been very fortunate’: Living on campus, Azul Kothari hopes UW-Madison will prevent COVID-19 outbreaks with new testing protocols.
Azul Kothari feels lucky to have avoided catching COVID-19 as infections surged at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall. “I just thought I would get it through community spread at some point,” he said. “I thought it was pretty inevitable.”
‘It’s a scary transition’: After pandemic closes doors at bars and restaurants, Amy Moreland carves a new career path
With few prospects for a new service industry job, Amy Moreland enrolled at Madison College, aiming to earn a degree in social work.
‘I’m happy to be part of history’: An ER nurse gets the coronavirus vaccine, offering example to others
Health care workers were among the first in Wisconsin on Dec. 14 to receive doses of the new Pfizer vaccine after the state’s first shipments arrived.
‘Winter is coming, and a lot of doors are going to be shut’: Restaurant and bar workers in peril as weather grows cold and COVID-19 keeps spreading
Before the pandemic, Amy Moreland worked as a bartender and events coordinator in Madison. “Well, that’s canceled forever, or the foreseeable future,” she joked anxiously in her latest audio diary for Outbreak Wisconsin.
‘This is slowly grinding us into dirt’: An ER nurse reflects on the relentless pandemic
As of October 12, 74 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Dane County alone, where Mariah Clark works as an emergency department nurse. Clark said the spike was predictable. “Wisconsin, I love you, but you’re doing it wrong,” she said.
Pizza lunches and iPads: A single mom speaks to her son about returning to school
Jessica Barrera said her son Niko did well learning at home after coronavirus shuttered schools nationwide this spring. She has decided to continue with remote learning for him this year as well.