MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – For the third day in a row, Wisconsin health officials say they have confirmed more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in the latest batch of test results.
The Department of Health Services received 11,624 test results in the last 24-hour period and found 1,353 new cases, a slight decrease from Friday’s report of 1,369 new cases. On Thursday, a record setting 1,547 new cases were confirmed in a single day.
Saturday’s report shows another 10,271 people tested negative for the virus in the latest batch of test results.
Saturday’s positive rate was 11.6%, a percentage which has declined since Thursday, when the state saw a percentage of 17.5%. A record 17.6% of all positive tests was reported on Tuesday. Friday’s percentage was reported at 13.8% by state health officials.
According to our calculations, the state added an average of 1,043 cases a day over the past 7 days as an average 13.82% of tests came back positive, which is far above the 5% health experts want to see to show the spread of the virus is being managed.
The state reports the COVID-19 death toll rose by 12 to 1,209. The percentage of all known cases in Wisconsin which have been fatal is still at 1.4%. New deaths were reported in Waukesha, Washington, Washburn, Vilas, Sheboygan, Racine, Oneida, Milwaukee and Kenosha counties.
The number of active cases is also continuing to increase. The state reports 9,467 cases are considered active, an increase of 310 cases from Friday’s report (9,157.) The number of active cases makes up 10.8% of all known cases, compared to 10.6% on Friday, 10.4% of cases Thursday and 9.8% on Wednesday.
The number of people considered recovered grew by 1,031 within the past 24 hours to 76,909 people.
Since testing began earlier this year, 87,603 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus, the novel virus that causes COVID-19. More than 1.35 million people in the state have been tested.
The state reports as of Saturday, a total 6,093 COVID-19 patients have been hospitalized since early February. That’s 46 more than Friday. The percentage of people who tested positive for the coronavirus being hospitalized for COVID-19 decreased slightly to 7.2% on Saturday, down from Friday’s report of 7.3%.
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh has launched an online dashboard (CLICK HERE) to show results from testing students and staff. Right now the statistics are for the Oshkosh campus, but the school plans to add reports from the Fox Valley and Fond du Lac campuses.
On Thursday the Winnebago County Health Department reported a single-day record of 74 positive tests in the county. The health department told us, “We believe this surge is due in large part to pent-up demand for testing that occurred because of limited testing options over the holiday weekend.” Patients ranged from 5 to 79 years old. Half of them are 30 years old or younger, including five under the age of 10, and twenty-six age 18 to 24.
This week on Action 2 News This Morning, Prevea president/CEO Dr. Ashok Rai indicated it’s mostly people already exhibiting symptoms who are getting tested. “You have to remember a negative test means you’re negative when we put that swab in your nose. That’s why it’s most important to test you when you have symptoms–any kind of symptoms–remember the list is pretty long. And it’s a low threshold to get tested. Or if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19. Wouldn’t it be great if we could test everybody a lot? It would be great. The resources aren’t there for that.”
[CLICK HERE to find a community testing site]
To help people understand how their decisions affect their own health and others, the Department of Health Services introduced a decision tool at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/decision.htm. Going beyond reiterating best practices like social distancing and wearing masks, the tool describes how choices matter and offers suggestions to make activities safer.
County case numbers (counties with new cases or deaths are in bold) are as reported by the DHS. State numbers can vary from county health department numbers, which are updated at different times:
Wisconsin
- Adams – 160 cases (+6) (3 deaths)
- Ashland – 38 cases (1 death)
- Barron – 395 cases (+1) (4 deaths)
- Bayfield – 66 cases (1 death)
- Brown – 6,366 cases (+132) (58 deaths)
- Buffalo – 100 cases (+1) (2 deaths)
- Burnett – 68 cases (+4) (2 deaths)
- Calumet – 668 cases (+25) (2 deaths)
- Chippewa – 409 cases (+6)
- Clark – 283 cases (+6) (8 deaths)
- Columbia – 418 cases (+5) (2 deaths)
- Crawford – 125 cases (+1)
- Dane – 7,389 cases (+135) (41 deaths) (adjusted from Friday’s DHS report of 42)
- Dodge – 1,389 cases (+19) (8 deaths)
- Door – 176 cases (+3) (3 deaths)
- Douglas – 319 cases (+13)
- Dunn – 237 cases (+13)
- Eau Claire – 1,171 cases (+73) (6 deaths)
- Florence – 41 cases (+4)
- Fond du Lac – 1,405 cases (+25) (12 deaths)
- Forest – 147 cases (+18) (4 deaths)
- Grant – 561 cases (+15) (19 deaths)
- Green – 340 cases (+8) (2 deaths)
- Green Lake – 128 cases (+6)
- Iowa – 131 cases (+3)
- Iron – 132 cases (1 death)
- Jackson – 89 cases (+2) (1 death)
- Jefferson – 1,047 cases (+15) (7 deaths)
- Juneau – 267 cases (+6) (1 death)
- Kenosha – 3,122 cases (+19) (65 deaths) (+1)
- Kewaunee – 246 cases (+5) (2 deaths)
- La Crosse – 1,625 cases (+102) (2 deaths)
- Lafayette – 192 cases (+3)
- Langlade – 94 cases (+1) (2 deaths)
- Lincoln – 104 cases (+5) (1 death)
- Manitowoc – 676 cases (+12) (2 deaths)
- Marathon – 859 cases (+5) (14 deaths)
- Marinette – 660 cases (+5) (7 deaths)
- Marquette – 136 cases (+8) (1 death)
- Menominee – 32 cases (+1)
- Milwaukee – 25,440 (+202) (513 deaths) (+3)
- Monroe – 315 cases (+1) (2 deaths)
- Oconto – 543 cases (+9) (4 deaths)
- Oneida – 263 cases (+9) (2 deaths) (+1)
- Outagamie – 2,655 cases (+90) (24 deaths)
- Ozaukee – 1,067 cases (+19) (18 deaths)
- Pepin – 52 cases (+1)
- Pierce – 325 cases (+4) (6 deaths)
- Polk – 204 cases (+4) (2 deaths)
- Portage – 870 cases (+24) (3 deaths)
- Price – 37 cases
- Racine – 4,243 cases (+17) (93 deaths) (+1)
- Richland – 70 cases (+5) (4 deaths)
- Rock – 1,980 cases (+21) (29 deaths)
- Rusk – 36 cases (+1) (1 death)
- Sauk – 708 cases (+10) (3 deaths)
- Sawyer – 176 cases (+6) (1 death)
- Shawano – 378 cases (+8)
- Sheboygan – 1,227 cases (+17) (11 deaths) (+1)
- St. Croix – 711 cases (+4) (7 deaths)
- Taylor – 129 cases (+1) (3 deaths)
- Trempealeau – 455 cases (+3) (2 deaths)
- Vernon – 136 cases (+4)
- Vilas – 136 cases (1 death) (+1)
- Walworth – 2,058 cases (+55) (32 deaths)
- Washburn – 80 cases (+1) (1 death) (+1)
- Washington – 1,921 cases (+41) (32 deaths) (+1)
- Waukesha – 6,053 cases (+42) (85 deaths) (+4)
- Waupaca – 806 cases (+8) (19 deaths)
- Waushara – 229 cases (+7) (2 deaths)
- Winnebago – 1,926 cases (+65) (22 deaths)
- Wood – 563 cases (+8) (3 deaths)
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula*
- Alger – 16 cases
- Baraga – 7 cases
- Chippewa – 44 cases (adjusted from Michigan’s report of 45 on Friday)
- Delta – 180 cases (+6) (4 deaths)
- Dickinson – 72 cases (2 deaths)
- Gogebic – 139 cases (1 death)
- Houghton – 169 cases (+6) (1 death)
- Iron – 45 cases (+4) (1 death)
- Keweenaw – 5 cases (+1)
- Luce – 10 cases
- Mackinac – 36 cases
- Marquette – 239 cases (+1) (11 deaths)
- Menominee – 236 cases (+2)
- Ontonagon – 36 cases
- Schoolcraft – 16 cases
*The State of Michigan says it will only report county case numbers Monday-Saturday. Health officials there say weekend data are often erratic and generally lower than other days due to reduced testing and lab staffing.
Symptoms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified these as possible symptoms of COVID-19:
- Fever of 100.4 or higher
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Prevention
- The coronavirus is a new, or “novel,” virus. Nobody has a natural immunity to it. Children and teens seem to recover best from the virus. Older people and those with underlying health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease) are considered at high risk, according to the CDC. Precautions are also needed around people with developing or weakened immune systems.
- To help prevent the spread of the virus:
- Stay at least six feet away from other people
- Avoid close contact with people who are or appear sick
- Stay at home as much as possible
- Cancel events and avoid groups, gatherings, play dates and nonessential appointments
- Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care
- Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
- Cover your mouth and nose with a mask. At a minimum, use a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
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