Wisconsin Ends Week With 1,412 New COVID-19 Cases, Surge in Testing
Despite testing boost, state still has almost three times the capacity.
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.
Figures reported Sunday by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services show that 2,321 COVID-19 tests were processed by 48 labs across the state in the past 24 hours. That figure is the third-highest reported since the outbreak started, following 3,421 and 2,896 tests reported Friday and Saturday respectively.
Of the 2,321 tests, 9.65 percent came back positive, below the April average of 9.82 percent. The figure is one Governor Tony Evers‘ Badger Bounce Back plan calls to fall for 14 days before implementing a phased plan to reopen the state, but the number has bounced around over the past week with a sequence of 10.68, 8.90, 11,93, 9.58, 8.89, 11.43 and 9.65 percent (a weighted average of 10.11 percent).
For the week, 1,412 Wisconsin residents tested positive from 15,477 tests, both of which are record highs. The figures were boosted by an overall increase in testing as well as outbreaks at food plants across the state and testing all of the inmates at the Milwaukee County House of Correction.
The Badger Bounce Back plan calls for the state’s testing to grow and for the capacity to grow to at least 85,000 tests per week (over 12,100 per day).
The death toll from the virus continues to move higher, but the growth in confirmed deaths does not directly correlate to the daily testing report. The state reported 272 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 as of Sunday afternoon, with six new deaths in the past 24 hours. DHS reports that 162 of the deaths have occurred in Milwaukee County.
Brown County continues to be the county with the greatest percentage of its residents testing positive after an outbreak centered around a meatpacking plant was discovered. The county, which is anchored by Green Bay, now has 298.7 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 277.2 yesterday). Milwaukee County has 275.5 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 264.6). On April 16th, Brown County had only 53.5 cases per 100,000 residents while Milwaukee was at 204. Only two residents of Brown County have died from the disease.
Kenosha County has the third-highest rate at 201.4 cases per 100,000 residents. Racine (138.2) and Walworth (131.1) are the only other counties with over 100 cases per 100,000 residents.
With the expanded testing, the percentage of individuals with confirmed cases requiring hospitalization has fallen to 24 percent (1,397 cumulative hospitalizations). The number had peaked at 30 percent in recent weeks. There are currently 975 ventilator and 424 intensive care unit beds available across the state according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Since the data became publicly available on April 10th, WHA has reported an average of 915 ventilators and 452 ventilators as available.
Charts and Maps
Wisconsin COVID-19 summary
| Status | Number (%) of People as of 4/26/2020 |
|---|---|
| Negative Test Results | 59,235 |
| Positive Test Results | 5,911 |
| Hospitalizations | 1,397 (24%) |
| Deaths | 272 |
Percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender
| Gender | Confirmed Cases as of 4/26/2020 | Deaths as of 4/26/2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 52% | 41% |
| Male | 48% | 59% |
| Total Number | 5,911 | 272 |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race
| Race | Number of cases as of 4/26/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/26/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/26/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/26/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian | 56 | 1% | 3 | 1% |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 174 | 3% | 5 | 2% |
| Black | 1,414 | 24% | 94 | 35% |
| White | 3,083 | 52% | 165 | 61% |
| Multiple or Other races | 403 | 7% | 1 | 0% |
| Unknown | 781 | 13% | 4 | 1% |
| Total | 5,911 | 100% | 272 | 100% |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Number of cases as of 4/26/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/26/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/26/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/26/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,338 | 23% | 16 | 6% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 3,734 | 63% | 248 | 91% |
| Unknown | 839 | 14% | 8 | 3% |
| Total | 5,911 | 100% | 272 | 100% |
Number of positive cases and deaths by county
| Wisconsin County | Positive as of 4/26/2020 | Negative as of 4/26/2020 | Deaths as of 4/26/2020 | Rate (positive cases per 100,000 people) as of 4/26/2020 | Case fatality percentage (percent of cases who died) as of 4/26/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 4 | 135 | 1 | 19.9 | 25% |
| Ashland | 2 | 103 | 0 | 12.7 | 0% |
| Barron | 6 | 675 | 0 | 13.3 | 0% |
| Bayfield | 3 | 125 | 1 | 20.0 | 33% |
| Brown | 776 | 1,884 | 2 | 298.7 | 0% |
| Buffalo | 4 | 166 | 1 | 30.4 | 25% |
| Burnett | 0 | 74 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Calumet | 7 | 329 | 0 | 14.1 | 0% |
| Chippewa | 20 | 909 | 0 | 31.4 | 0% |
| Clark | 19 | 194 | 1 | 55.1 | 5% |
| Columbia | 27 | 678 | 1 | 47.4 | 4% |
| Crawford | 3 | 197 | 0 | 18.4 | 0% |
| Dane | 405 | 8,656 | 21 | 76.4 | 5% |
| Dodge | 29 | 813 | 1 | 33.0 | 3% |
| Door | 10 | 120 | 1 | 36.4 | 10% |
| Douglas | 9 | 446 | 0 | 20.7 | 0% |
| Dunn | 9 | 868 | 0 | 20.2 | 0% |
| Eau Claire | 25 | 1,739 | 0 | 24.3 | 0% |
| Florence | 2 | 21 | 0 | 46.1 | 0% |
| Fond du Lac | 69 | 1,233 | 3 | 67.4 | 4% |
| Forest | 0 | 47 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Grant | 30 | 525 | 3 | 57.9 | 10% |
| Green | 11 | 282 | 0 | 29.8 | 0% |
| Green Lake | 1 | 160 | 0 | 5.3 | 0% |
| Iowa | 7 | 235 | 0 | 29.6 | 0% |
| Iron | 2 | 38 | 1 | 35.0 | 50% |
| Jackson | 12 | 254 | 1 | 58.5 | 8% |
| Jefferson | 39 | 791 | 0 | 46.1 | 0% |
| Juneau | 12 | 300 | 1 | 45.4 | 8% |
| Kenosha | 339 | 1,826 | 7 | 201.4 | 2% |
| Kewaunee | 10 | 105 | 1 | 49.1 | 10% |
| La Crosse | 26 | 1,806 | 0 | 22.1 | 0% |
| Lafayette | 4 | 103 | 0 | 23.9 | 0% |
| Langlade | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Lincoln | 0 | 167 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Manitowoc | 10 | 311 | 0 | 12.6 | 0% |
| Marathon | 17 | 602 | 1 | 12.6 | 6% |
| Marinette | 7 | 299 | 1 | 17.3 | 14% |
| Marquette | 3 | 150 | 1 | 19.7 | 33% |
| Menominee | 1 | 36 | 0 | 21.8 | 0% |
| Milwaukee | 2,629 | 12,726 | 162 | 275.5 | 6% |
| Monroe | 14 | 685 | 0 | 30.8 | 0% |
| Oconto | 7 | 254 | 0 | 18.6 | 0% |
| Oneida | 6 | 261 | 0 | 17.0 | 0% |
| Outagamie | 46 | 1,158 | 2 | 24.9 | 4% |
| Ozaukee | 85 | 797 | 9 | 96.3 | 11% |
| Pepin | 0 | 104 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Pierce | 9 | 374 | 0 | 21.6 | 0% |
| Polk | 4 | 248 | 0 | 9.2 | 0% |
| Portage | 4 | 263 | 0 | 5.7 | 0% |
| Price | 1 | 68 | 0 | 7.4 | 0% |
| Racine | 270 | 1,866 | 10 | 138.2 | 4% |
| Richland | 11 | 228 | 1 | 62.7 | 9% |
| Rock | 151 | 1,546 | 5 | 93.3 | 3% |
| Rusk | 4 | 110 | 0 | 28.2 | 0% |
| Sauk | 40 | 689 | 3 | 62.9 | 8% |
| Sawyer | 3 | 235 | 0 | 18.3 | 0% |
| Shawano | 8 | 295 | 0 | 19.5 | 0% |
| Sheboygan | 45 | 768 | 2 | 39.1 | 4% |
| St. Croix | 13 | 439 | 0 | 14.8 | 0% |
| Taylor | 0 | 91 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Trempealeau | 2 | 453 | 0 | 6.8 | 0% |
| Vernon | 1 | 359 | 0 | 3.3 | 0% |
| Vilas | 4 | 123 | 0 | 18.5 | 0% |
| Walworth | 135 | 683 | 8 | 131.1 | 6% |
| Washburn | 1 | 149 | 0 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Washington | 92 | 1,524 | 4 | 68.4 | 4% |
| Waukesha | 307 | 3,274 | 14 | 77.0 | 5% |
| Waupaca | 7 | 332 | 1 | 13.6 | 14% |
| Waushara | 2 | 159 | 0 | 8.3 | 0% |
| Winnebago | 48 | 1,084 | 1 | 28.2 | 2% |
| Wood | 2 | 389 | 0 | 2.7 | 0% |
| Total | 5,911 | 59,235 | 272 | 102.3 | 5% |
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