Name: As Wisconsin coronavirus surge continues, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson claims 'we've flattened the curve,' says virus isn't a death sentence
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As Wisconsin coronavirus surge continues, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson claims 'we've flattened the curve,' says virus isn't a death sentence

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are breaking records in Wisconsin. National health experts say the country is on the cusp of its largest wave of infections.On Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin declared Wisconsin had flattened the curve, in the face of evidence of the opposite."Generally deaths are still pretty flat because we've flattened the curve," Johnson said. "We've gotten better at treating it."&nbsp;Doctors have made strides in treating COVID-19 patients, but as cases have soared in Wisconsin, rising deaths have followed.&nbsp;Johnson addressed listeners on a Wisconsin Manufacturers &amp; Commerce call, first talking about the coronavirus.&nbsp;Track COVID-19 in Wisconsin:Johnson's comments come at a time when coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are climbing faster and higher than ever before, with no sign of slowing down.&nbsp;The last seven days were the deadliest of the pandemic in Wisconsin, with 173 deaths between Oct. 14 and Wednesday, a day the state recorded a record 48 deaths. The death toll from the virus as of Wednesday is 1,681.As of Tuesday, 1,192 coronavirus patients were in hospitals across the state, including 315 people in intensive care units. Both numbers are record highs and come on the heels of to stay home and wear masks.&nbsp;The average number of new daily cases over the last seven days reached 3,444, a high for rolling seven averages. State health officials said the average number of new daily cases is the best indicator of the current trend.RELATED:Johnson, who at the beginning of the month, said Wisconsinites have to understand that contracting the virus isn't a death sentence. He said 95% of people who contract the virus at any age&nbsp;experience no or very mild symptoms.&nbsp;"That is the experience of most people (who get) COVID, they survive," he said. "It's just a couple of days episode if anything at all."&nbsp;Johnson said the public has been tricked into believing the coronavirus survival rate is worse than that of the normal flu.&nbsp;"We have unfortunately been snookered into this mass hysteria that isn't even close to the real risk," he said. "And so we've shut down our economy, we've had this economic devastation."&nbsp;Patrick Remington,&nbsp;a former Centers for Disease Control epidemiologist and director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,&nbsp; said that while only a small percentage of people who contract COVID-19 will have serious cases, that number multiplied by Wisconsin's population still translates to a large number.&nbsp;Remington also disputed Johnson's claims about the flattening of the curve.&nbsp;"To say that the curve is flattening implies that we have this under control," he said. "Which we clearly do not."&nbsp;He said that while he understands there is a need to get people back to their jobs and back to school, there needs to be a balance with the need to keep people safe.&nbsp;"If we do that carelessly, we'll see tens of thousands hospitalized and thousands more dying of COVID," he said.&nbsp;During the call, Johnson also addressed the possibility of another federal stimulus, saying Democrats are responsible for the holdup so far. House Democrats passed the $3.4 trillion Heroes Act&nbsp;in May and a scaled-back $2.2 trillion bill earlier this month. Neither have gotten a vote in the Senate, and Senate Democrats have blocked the GOP's proposed $500 billion bill.&nbsp;Johnson also spoke to what he said were the high stakes of the Nov. 3 election.&nbsp;"If Trump loses and if Chuck Schumer becomes majority leader in the Senate, they will change every rule, they will violate every precedent, every norm. They will never relinquish power," he said. "And that is not an overstatement."He said there was a risk Democrats may make Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico states in order to have more votes and split California into two states. Splitting the large West Coast state has been brought up several times since the late 1800s, most recently in 2018, when a wealthy venture capitalist tried to get splitting the state on the ballot but was unsuccessful, . It has not since been raised.&nbsp;Johnson also expressed concern about the Electoral College, saying if it's eliminated,&nbsp;Wisconsin will never be important during another election again. Eliminating the Electoral College would require an amendment to the Constitution."Wisconsin will never see another presidential candidate in the future because presidential candidates will probably concentrate on the big states, you know, the highly populous states," he said. "We will be flyover country."&nbsp;Johnson, a vocal defender of President Donald Trump, argued the case for his reelection."We don't like his tweets, we don't like the way he behaves," Johnson said. "But he actually believes in this country. He thinks it's great. He knows it's great. He wakes up every day trying to make it better."&nbsp;Laura Schulte can be reached at&nbsp;leschulte@gannett.com and .

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are breaking records in Wisconsin. National health experts say the country is on the cusp of its largest wave of infections.On Wednesday, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin declared Wisconsin had flattened the curve, in the face of evidence of the opposite."Generally deaths are still pretty flat because we've flattened the curve," Johnson said. "We've gotten better at treating it."&nbsp;Doctors have made strides in treating COVID-19 patients, but as cases have soared in Wisconsin, rising deaths have followed.&nbsp;Johnson...

As Wisconsin coronavirus surge continues, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson claims 'we've flattened the curve,' says virus isn't a death sentence

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