Students at the focus of Wisconsin's newest COVID-19 campaign

(WLUK) -- The state has launched a new campaign that aims to keep kids safe and healthy in the classroom.

With COVID-19 top of mind, the new campaign, "Keeping Kids Safe and In School" raises awareness and promotes good public health safety practices for school-aged children and their families.

The campaign encourages getting children five and older vaccinated, wearing a well-fitting mask at school as well as other public, indoor spaces and staying home from school when sick.

“We know in-person learning is the best way to educate our kids, and by making sure that kids, families, and folks in our schools can take steps to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have the resources to help prevent the spread, we can help provide a safe environment to keep our kids in school," Governor Tony Evers said.

The campaign builds off previously established DHS campaigns like "Stop the Spread" and "Our Doctors."

Wisconsinites will see the "Keeping Kids Safe and In School" messaging on social media, television, transit, and local newspapers.

“The Omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, and we are witnessing rapid transmission and rising case numbers, especially in kids under 18,” said DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “We recommend parents and schools use all the tools in our toolbox to stop the spread of COVID-19. If we can all work together to stop the spread, we can keep schools open safely and keep kids learning.”

According to DHS, children under 18 years old continue to represent the highest number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases. This age group also represents more than one-fifth of new confirmed cases since the end of August 2021.

And the cases keep rising.

During a news briefing Thursday, state health officials reported 15,486 new COVID-19 cases, raising the seven-day average to 18,836. There was also 38 new confirmed deaths, bringing the total of deaths in Wisconsin since the pandemic began to 10,689.

As of Wednesday, 63% of Wisconsinites received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 58.9% have completed their vaccine series.