COVID-19 cases in Oconto County continue to rise quickly. On September 22nd  Oconto County moved into the critically high case activity level for the first time since December 2020. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services bases case activity level on a combination of the case rate and the change in cases for a 14-day period. “This data shows that Oconto County, when it comes to COVID-19, is moving in the wrong direction. As recently as 2 months ago, in late July 2021, Oconto County was at a moderate case activity level,” stated Debra Konitzer, Oconto County Health Officer. The data released covers a 14-day period from September 8th to September 22nd and in that time frame, there were 433 new cases in the county, a 60% increase from the previous 14 days. Over 35% of the new cases were in those age 0-19.  As of September 23rd, more Oconto County residents have been hospitalized in September than in July and August combined 19 vs. 17