Record-breaking number of COVID-19 deaths reported in Wisconsin, nearly 300 more hospitalized

MADISON, Wis. — COVID-19 was a factor in nearly 100 more deaths throughout Wisconsin, according to state and county health officials.

At least 3,174* Wisconsinites have died of coronavirus complications, with a record-breaking 95 new deaths reported Tuesday.

The state Department of Health Services said an additional 279 people have been hospitalized. Out of the state’s 11,256 hospital beds, 15% remain available for new patients.

While still high, the seven-day positivity rate for new tests by person has decreased to 28.7%. The seven-day equivalent for total tests by day also went down slightly to 13.2%.

Health officials recorded 5,886* new cases, a substantial increase from Monday’s count. That’s also above the seven-day average of new cases per day, which DHS officials said is at 5,732.

The state’s lifetime total has reached 364,316* confirmed cases, and more than 76,000 are still active.

The virus continues to disrupt sporting events across the state, as Wednesday’s season opener for the Badgers women’s basketball team has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

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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.