MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases per day has neared 5,000 as of Thursday afternoon, according to the state Department of Health Services.
State and county health officials have recorded 5,178* new cases in the past day, which is a moderate increase from the most recent average of 4,989 cases.
A lifetime total of 250,563* cases have been confirmed since the virus first made its way to Wisconsin in March. More than 54,000, or one-fifth of those cases remain active.
On Wednesday, DHS said all of Wisconsin’s 72 counties are experiencing “very high” activity levels for disease spread.
The seven-day average positivity rate for new tests by person has climbed to 32%, or nearly one-third of new tests. The seven-day equivalent for total tests by day also saw an increase to 16.4%.
With an additional 223 hospitalizations since Wednesday afternoon, the coronavirus has also continued to impact hospital capacity across the state. DHS officials said only 12% of the state’s hospital beds are available for new patients.
In Dane County, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has reached a new record Thursday.
“Covid’s greatest test has come at a moment when we are all tired and frustrated, but it’s imperative we rally,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said. “Now more than ever we have to come together and make choices that reduce not only the risk to us and our families but also to the nurses and doctors who are working around the clock to care for those who are sick.”
DHS officials recorded 28 more deaths Thursday, bringing the statewide death toll to 2,220*.
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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.
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