56 hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wisconsin as 7-day average positivity rate approaches 17%

MADISON, Wis. — Dozens of more Wisconsinites have been hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health Services.

Health officials recorded an additional 56 hospitalizations Wednesday afternoon. Nine more people throughout the state have died, and at least 1,263 deaths have been confirmed as a result of coronavirus complications.

There were 13,453 tested for the virus in the past day, with 13.1% of results coming back positive. As of Wednesday, the seven-day average positivity rate is nearing 17%. Wisconsin is said to have the second-highest rate of positive coronavirus tests in the country, according to Reuters.

State and county health officials confirmed 1,900 new cases of the virus, bringing the lifetime total to 106,343*. DHS officials said more than 15,000 of those cases are still active.

According to DHS data, all 72 counties in Wisconsin have been classified as having high activity levels for disease spread. Activity levels are determined by combining each county’s case burden and trajectory indicators.

Dane County officially surpassed 9,000 coronavirus cases Wednesday.

The two-week quarantine at a pair of University of Wisconsin-Madison residence halls was lifted Wednesday, with the university citing a decrease in cases on campus.

Starting Saturday, some UW-Madison classes will also return to in-person instruction.

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*News 3 Now uses data from DHS and county dashboards to calculate daily cases and deaths. DHS posts new numbers daily at 2 p.m., and our newsroom continues to update our totals throughout the day with additional cases that individual counties report. By using a combination of state and county data, News 3 Now is dedicated to providing the most comprehensive and up-to-date COVID-19 coverage.