Over 1,000 COVID-19 Cases in Wisconsin
State reports over 2,000 tests processed in one day for the first time.
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.
Over 1,000 Wisconsin residents have now tested positive for COVID-19.
The state reported 989 confirmed cases on Saturday, but that data is of 9 p.m. the night prior. Data on more frequently updated Dane County and Milwaukee County dashboards show an additional 15 cases as of Saturday morning.
Based solely on the state’s reported figure, that’s a 147 case increase, the biggest one day increase on record. The number also reflects increasing testing capacity. For the first time, the state reported over 2,239 people had tests processed in a single day. A total of 15,232 people have tested negative.
A total of 17 deaths have now been reported, including nine in Milwaukee County. In Milwaukee County all of the individuals that have passed away as a result of the virus have been African Americans, which Governor Tony Evers labeled a “crisis within a crisis” on Friday.
State officials expect the number of positive cases and deaths to continue to grow exponentially in the coming weeks, even with social distancing in place. “The best case scenario is that we would see a peak in the next two to three weeks and that’s what we’re really going for,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases, during a media briefing Friday.
The effects of social distancing practices and the state’s “Safer at Home” order will take time to show up in the data. “It will likely be several weeks before we are able to start to see the results of that effort,” said Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. The efforts don’t show up immediately because of turnaround time on testing and the reality that individuals can be asymptomatic for up to 14 days before falling noticeably ill. “With all of us doing our part at home we will certainly get through this,” said Palm.
Westergaard and Palm have repeatedly stated that the end goal is preserving capacity in the healthcare system to ultimately save lives.
“Physically distancing really is the way to stop the spread of this disease,” said Palm.
Milwaukee officials were asked Friday about how they will enforce social distancing practices. Both Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Chris Abele said law enforcement was a last resort, but would be used if necessary. “I can’t say it anymore emphatically – yes you can still go on a walk in the park, but there is no situation where social distancing doesn’t apply,” said Abele. “If we see any evidence of congregating we are going to go there with lightning speed,” added Barrett.
“There have been reports of a few bad actors. Those folks will be held accountable,” said Evers in a separate briefing Friday.
For more on why so many tests come back negative and why that will change in the coming weeks, see our article from yesterday.
Data
All statewide case data are laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported as of 9 p.m. the previous evening.
Charts and Maps
Wisconsin COVID-19 Test Results
| Test Results | Number of People |
|---|---|
| Negative | 15232 |
| Positive | 989 |
| Deaths | 13* |
Number of Positive Results by County
| Wisconsin County | Total Cases | Total Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Bayfield | 2 | 0 |
| Brown | 6 | 0 |
| Calumet | 1 | 0 |
| Chippewa | 4 | 0 |
| Clark | 3 | 0 |
| Columbia | 7 | 0 |
| Dane | 158 | 1 |
| Dodge | 6 | 0 |
| Douglas | 6 | 0 |
| Dunn | 2 | 0 |
| Eau Claire | 7 | 0 |
| Fond du Lac | 20 | 1 |
| Grant | 1 | 0 |
| Green | 4 | 0 |
| Iowa | 3 | 0 |
| Iron | 1 | 1 |
| Jefferson | 8 | 0 |
| Juneau | 2 | 0 |
| Kenosha | 24 | 0 |
| La Crosse | 15 | 0 |
| Marathon | 1 | 0 |
| Marinette | 1 | 0 |
| Milwaukee | 489 | 5* |
| Monroe | 1 | 0 |
| Oneida | 1 | 0 |
| Outagamie | 4 | 0 |
| Ozaukee | 33 | 3 |
| Pierce | 4 | 0 |
| Portage | 1 | 0 |
| Racine | 16 | 0 |
| Richland | 2 | 0 |
| Rock | 12 | 0 |
| Sauk | 11 | 1 |
| Sheboygan | 8 | 0 |
| St. Croix | 4 | 0 |
| Vilas | 2 | 0 |
| Walworth | 6 | 0 |
| Washington | 31 | 0 |
| Waukesha | 72 | 0 |
| Waupaca | 1 | 1 |
| Winnebago | 7 | 0 |
| Wood | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 989 | 13* |
*Milwaukee County reported 9 COVID-19 deaths as of 3/27/2020 at 8:35 p.m. which brings the total deaths connected to COVID-19 to 17.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Governors Tony Evers, JB Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Gretchen Whitmer Issue a Joint Statement Concerning Reports that Donald Trump Gave Russian Dictator Putin American COVID-19 Supplies - Gov. Tony Evers - Oct 11th, 2024
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
