State’s COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 300
72 percent of those who've died have been 70 or older.
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the death of 300 Wisconsin residents according to figures released Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). A total of 19 deaths were confirmed in the past 24 hours.
The deaths have not occurred evenly by geography, race, ethnicity or age. DHS reports that 174 of the deaths (58 percent) have been in Milwaukee County, while the county represents only 16 percent of the state’s population.
Across Wisconsin, 33 percent of those who died have been identified as black according to state data, while blacks make up only six percent of the state’s population.
As has been true across the globe, those at the highest risk of dying are older and have underlying health conditions. Of the 300 deaths in Wisconsin, 72 percent have been individuals ages 70 or older. The 70+ age group makes up only 16 percent of the confirmed cases.
Testing has increased day-over-day with DHS reporting 2,432 tests processed in the past 24 hours, the third-highest figure reported. The state has now reported an average of 1,824 tests per day in April and 2,480 in the past week. DHS reports 49 labs across the state have a combined testing capacity of 10,992 tests per day.
DHS reported 208 new positive cases (6,289 total), a positive case rate of 8.55 percent, up from 7.57 percent yesterday. The state has averaged a positive rate of 9.66 percent across April. Officials are watching the figure as one of six key indicators to implement a phased reopening of the economy. “That’s the number that we want to see gradually going down,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer of the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases during a media briefing Thursday afternoon.
The gap between the percent of cases for residents in Brown County versus other Wisconsin counties continues to grow. The county, which is anchored by Green Bay, now has 354.1 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 328.3 yesterday). Milwaukee County has 285.3 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 280.2). On April 16th, Brown County had only 53.5 cases per 100,000 residents while Milwaukee was at 204. Three residents of Brown County have died from the disease.
Kenosha County has the third-highest rate at 206.7 cases per 100,000 residents. Racine (157.6), Walworth (134.9) and Rock (110) are the only other counties with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents, but the statewide average has risen to 105.2. Six of the state’s 72 counties still do not have a confirmed case.
The cumulative hospitalization rate for those with confirmed cases stands at 23 percent (1,456 people) over the length of the outbreak after peaking at 30 percent, but the state does not have hospitalization data in 19 percent of cases (1,215 cases).
There are currently 926 ventilators and 447 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 916 ventilators and 452 ventilators as available.
Charts and Maps
Wisconsin COVID-19 summary
| Status | Number (%) of People as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|
| Negative Test Results | 63,535 |
| Positive Test Results | 6,289 |
| Hospitalizations | 1,456 (23%) |
| Deaths | 300 |
Percent of COVID-19 cases by hospitalization status
| Hospitilization status | Number of confirmed cases as of 4/28/2020 | Percent of confirmed cases as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Ever hospitalized | 1,456 | 23% |
| Never hospitalized | 3,618 | 58% |
| Unknown | 1,215 | 19% |
| Total | 6,289 | 100% |
Percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender
| Gender | Confirmed Cases as of 4/28/2020 | Deaths as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 52% | 40% |
| Male | 48% | 60% |
| Total Number | 6,289 | 300 |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race
| Race | Number of cases as of 4/28/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/28/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/28/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian | 60 | 1% | 4 | 1% |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 197 | 3% | 5 | 2% |
| Black | 1,486 | 24% | 99 | 33% |
| White | 3,316 | 53% | 182 | 61% |
| Multiple or Other races | 459 | 7% | 3 | 1% |
| Unknown | 771 | 12% | 7 | 2% |
| Total | 6,289 | 100% | 300 | 100% |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Number of cases as of 4/28/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/28/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/28/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,509 | 24% | 17 | 6% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 3,944 | 63% | 271 | 90% |
| Unknown | 836 | 13% | 12 | 4% |
| Total | 6,289 | 100% | 300 | 100% |
Summary of COVID-19 cases by age group
| Age Group (Years) | Cases as of 4/28/2020 | Ever hospitalized as of 4/28/2020 | Any Intensive Care as of 4/28/2020 | Deaths as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <10 | 57 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 10-19 | 159 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 20-29 | 905 | 57 | 7 | 2 |
| 30-39 | 1010 | 94 | 19 | 4 |
| 40-49 | 1079 | 151 | 35 | 9 |
| 50-59 | 1164 | 258 | 73 | 26 |
| 60-69 | 898 | 315 | 103 | 48 |
| 70-79 | 547 | 307 | 75 | 93 |
| 80-89 | 333 | 196 | 37 | 73 |
| 90+ | 137 | 64 | 14 | 45 |
| Total | 6,289 | 1,456 | 363 | 300 |
Number of positive cases and deaths by county
| Wisconsin County | Positive as of 4/28/2020 | Negative as of 4/28/2020 | Deaths as of 4/28/2020 | Rate (positive cases per 100,000 people) as of 4/28/2020 | Case fatality percentage (percent of cases who died) as of 4/28/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 4 | 148 | 1 | 19.9 | 25% |
| Ashland | 2 | 122 | 0 | 12.7 | 0% |
| Barron | 6 | 709 | 0 | 13.3 | 0% |
| Bayfield | 3 | 169 | 1 | 20.0 | 33% |
| Brown | 920 | 2,300 | 3 | 354.1 | 0% |
| Buffalo | 4 | 176 | 1 | 30.4 | 25% |
| Burnett | 0 | 81 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Calumet | 10 | 353 | 0 | 20.1 | 0% |
| Chippewa | 21 | 941 | 0 | 33.0 | 0% |
| Clark | 20 | 202 | 3 | 58.0 | 15% |
| Columbia | 27 | 712 | 1 | 47.4 | 4% |
| Crawford | 3 | 202 | 0 | 18.4 | 0% |
| Dane | 417 | 9,604 | 22 | 78.7 | 5% |
| Dodge | 32 | 864 | 1 | 36.5 | 3% |
| Door | 12 | 126 | 1 | 43.7 | 8% |
| Douglas | 9 | 479 | 0 | 20.7 | 0% |
| Dunn | 9 | 902 | 0 | 20.2 | 0% |
| Eau Claire | 27 | 1,777 | 0 | 26.2 | 0% |
| Florence | 2 | 21 | 0 | 46.1 | 0% |
| Fond du Lac | 69 | 1,316 | 3 | 67.4 | 4% |
| Forest | 0 | 52 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Grant | 32 | 551 | 5 | 61.7 | 16% |
| Green | 11 | 302 | 0 | 29.8 | 0% |
| Green Lake | 2 | 171 | 0 | 10.7 | 0% |
| Iowa | 7 | 245 | 0 | 29.6 | 0% |
| Iron | 2 | 38 | 1 | 35.0 | 50% |
| Jackson | 12 | 273 | 1 | 58.5 | 8% |
| Jefferson | 42 | 843 | 0 | 49.6 | 0% |
| Juneau | 13 | 320 | 1 | 49.2 | 8% |
| Kenosha | 348 | 1,849 | 9 | 206.7 | 3% |
| Kewaunee | 11 | 110 | 1 | 54.0 | 9% |
| La Crosse | 27 | 1,959 | 0 | 22.9 | 0% |
| Lafayette | 4 | 106 | 0 | 23.9 | 0% |
| Langlade | 0 | 106 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Lincoln | 0 | 173 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Manitowoc | 11 | 337 | 1 | 13.9 | 9% |
| Marathon | 17 | 632 | 1 | 12.6 | 6% |
| Marinette | 7 | 345 | 1 | 17.3 | 14% |
| Marquette | 3 | 158 | 1 | 19.7 | 33% |
| Menominee | 1 | 40 | 0 | 21.8 | 0% |
| Milwaukee | 2,722 | 13,512 | 174 | 285.3 | 6% |
| Monroe | 14 | 707 | 1 | 30.8 | 7% |
| Oconto | 8 | 267 | 0 | 21.3 | 0% |
| Oneida | 6 | 271 | 0 | 17.0 | 0% |
| Outagamie | 50 | 1,233 | 2 | 27.1 | 4% |
| Ozaukee | 86 | 851 | 9 | 97.4 | 10% |
| Pepin | 0 | 109 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Pierce | 9 | 387 | 0 | 21.6 | 0% |
| Polk | 4 | 262 | 0 | 9.2 | 0% |
| Portage | 4 | 273 | 0 | 5.7 | 0% |
| Price | 1 | 81 | 0 | 7.4 | 0% |
| Racine | 308 | 2,021 | 12 | 157.6 | 4% |
| Richland | 11 | 237 | 2 | 62.7 | 18% |
| Rock | 178 | 1,745 | 6 | 110.0 | 3% |
| Rusk | 4 | 116 | 0 | 28.2 | 0% |
| Sauk | 44 | 724 | 3 | 69.2 | 7% |
| Sawyer | 3 | 250 | 0 | 18.3 | 0% |
| Shawano | 8 | 305 | 0 | 19.5 | 0% |
| Sheboygan | 46 | 790 | 2 | 39.9 | 4% |
| St. Croix | 13 | 471 | 0 | 14.8 | 0% |
| Taylor | 0 | 97 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Trempealeau | 2 | 469 | 0 | 6.8 | 0% |
| Vernon | 1 | 375 | 0 | 3.3 | 0% |
| Vilas | 4 | 130 | 0 | 18.5 | 0% |
| Walworth | 139 | 738 | 8 | 134.9 | 6% |
| Washburn | 1 | 158 | 0 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Washington | 96 | 1,621 | 4 | 71.4 | 4% |
| Waukesha | 321 | 3,436 | 16 | 80.5 | 5% |
| Waupaca | 7 | 356 | 1 | 13.6 | 14% |
| Waushara | 2 | 166 | 0 | 8.3 | 0% |
| Winnebago | 48 | 1,153 | 1 | 28.2 | 2% |
| Wood | 2 | 410 | 0 | 2.7 | 0% |
| Total | 6,289 | 63,535 | 300 | 108.8 | 5% |
-Data from the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
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