Jeramey Jannene
Daily

COVID-19 Testing Capacity Drops

But state reports second highest total of tests processed in 24 hours, percent positive continues downward trend.

By - May 8th, 2020 02:59 pm
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.

COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported the first decrease in daily COVID-19 testing capacity since the department began reporting the number. But the number of tests processed per day continues to fall well below the capacity.

Figures released Friday show the capacity has fallen by 1,000 to 13,797 tests per day across 51 labs. The figure accounts for supplies at public and private labs across the state, including swabs, reagents and other necessary materials. DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm has repeatedly referred to the supply chain for testing supplies as fragile, but the capacity has trended upward in recent weeks. As of May 5th Wisconsin had the capacity to process only 11,347 tests per day.

DHS reported 4,605 tests were processed in the past 24 hours, the second-highest total reported since the outbreak started.

Of those tests, 8.14 percent were positive, increasing the number of Wisconsin residents with a confirmed case of the disease by 375 to 9,590. The figure, which DHS is looking to trend down as part of implementing the Badger Bounce Back plan, averaged 9.57 percent in April and 9.02 percent over the last 14 days.

The state’s Badger Bounce Back monitoring dashboard now shows that the state is only meeting one of six gating criteria, down from two. A downward trend of healthcare workers with COVID-19 is no longer statistically significant, although still exhibits a downward trend. Data from April 12th through the 26th is preliminary and has been revised upward from an earlier report.

The hospitalization rate for the disease over the length of the outbreak fell to 18 percent (1,767), though the state does not have hospitalization data in 23 percent (2,171) of cases.

The death toll from the virus has reached 384, with 10 newly-confirmed deaths in the past 24 hours. DHS reports that 219 of the deaths have occurred in Milwaukee County. The county’s residents represent 3,722 of the 9.590 confirmed cases according to state data.

But on a per-capita basis, Brown County has far more cases and the gap between the two continues to grow.

Brown County, which is anchored by Green Bay, now has 684 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 656.7 yesterday). Milwaukee County has 390.1 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 374.4). On April 16th, Brown County had only 53.5 cases per 100,000 residents while Milwaukee had 204. Brown County now has 13 confirmed deaths and 1,777 confirmed cases.

Kenosha County has the third-highest rate at 372.5 cases per 100,000 residents. Racine (324.5), Walworth (219.4), Rock (212), Kewaunee (127.7), Grant (127.3), Ozaukee (114.4) and Sauk (108.5) are the only other counties with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents. The statewide average has risen to 166 (up from 159.5).

There are currently 913 ventilators and 382 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 927 ventilators and 440 intensive care unit beds as available.

Charts and Maps

Wisconsin COVID-19 summary

Status Number (%) of People as of 5/8/2020
Negative Test Results 97,265
Positive Test Results 9,590
Hospitalizations 1,767 (18%)
Deaths 384

Percent of COVID-19 cases by hospitalization status

Hospitilization status Number of confirmed cases as of 5/8/2020 Percent of confirmed cases as of 5/8/2020
Ever hospitalized 1,767 18%
Never hospitalized 5,652 59%
Unknown 2,171 23%
Total 9,590 100%

Summary of COVID-19 cases by age group

Age Group (Years) Cases as of 5/8/2020 Ever hospitalized as of 5/8/2020 Any Intensive Care as of 5/8/2020 Deaths as of 5/8/2020
<10 124 7 0 0
10-19 375 15 1 0
20-29 1509 77 13 4
30-39 1625 119 20 5
40-49 1662 194 50 11
50-59 1677 305 82 33
60-69 1259 398 125 58
70-79 712 344 89 111
80-89 440 227 46 96
90+ 207 81 15 66
Total 9,590 1,767 441 384

Percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender

Gender Confirmed Cases as of 5/8/2020 Deaths as of 5/8/2020
Female 50% 42%
Male 50% 58%
Unknown 0% 0%
Total Number 9,590 384

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race

Race Number of cases as of 5/8/2020 Percent of cases as of 5/8/2020 Number of deaths as of 5/8/2020 Percent of deaths as of 5/8/2020
American Indian 111 1% 4 1%
Asian or Pacific Islander 349 4% 6 2%
Black 2,031 21% 115 30%
White 5,190 54% 251 65%
Multiple or Other races 988 10% 3 1%
Unknown 921 10% 5 1%
Total 9,590 100% 384 100%

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by ethnicity

Ethnicity Number of cases as of 5/8/2020 Percent of cases as of 5/8/2020 Number of deaths as of 5/8/2020 Percent of deaths as of 5/8/2020
Hispanic or Latino 2,832 30% 32 8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 5,774 60% 346 90%
Unknown 984 10% 6 2%
Total 9,590 100% 384 100%

Number of positive cases and deaths by county

Wisconsin County Positive as of 5/8/2020 Negative as of 5/8/2020 Deaths as of 5/8/2020 Rate (positive cases per 100,000 people) as of 5/8/2020 Case fatality percentage (percent of cases who died) as of 5/8/2020
Adams 4 249 1 19.9 25%
Ashland 2 169 0 12.7 0%
Barron 10 1,014 0 22.1 0%
Bayfield 3 218 1 20.0 33%
Brown 1,777 5,676 13 684.0 1%
Buffalo 5 400 1 38.0 20%
Burnett 0 143 0 0.0 0%
Calumet 34 505 0 68.3 0%
Chippewa 27 1,266 0 42.4 0%
Clark 23 331 4 66.7 17%
Columbia 32 1,060 1 56.2 3%
Crawford 16 287 0 98.2 0%
Dane 455 13,392 22 85.9 5%
Dodge 51 1,250 1 58.1 2%
Door 18 323 3 65.6 17%
Douglas 10 602 0 23.0 0%
Dunn 14 1,200 0 31.5 0%
Eau Claire 50 2,410 0 48.5 0%
Florence 2 29 0 46.1 0%
Fond du Lac 85 1,712 3 83.1 4%
Forest 1 106 0 11.1 0%
Grant 66 1,209 7 127.3 11%
Green 23 497 0 62.4 0%
Green Lake 6 235 0 32.0 0%
Iowa 10 354 0 42.3 0%
Iron 2 51 1 35.0 50%
Jackson 12 447 1 58.5 8%
Jefferson 50 1,199 0 59.1 0%
Juneau 21 484 1 79.5 5%
Kenosha 627 3,067 15 372.5 2%
Kewaunee 26 218 1 127.7 4%
La Crosse 32 2,639 0 27.2 0%
Lafayette 9 223 0 53.8 0%
Langlade 0 171 0 0.0 0%
Lincoln 1 247 0 3.6 0%
Manitowoc 17 594 1 21.4 6%
Marathon 22 1,019 1 16.3 5%
Marinette 15 561 1 37.0 7%
Marquette 3 229 1 19.7 33%
Menominee 2 102 0 43.7 0%
Milwaukee 3,722 19,628 219 390.1 6%
Monroe 14 1,184 1 30.8 7%
Oconto 27 555 0 71.9 0%
Oneida 7 377 0 19.8 0%
Outagamie 105 1,972 2 56.8 2%
Ozaukee 101 1,171 9 114.4 9%
Pepin 0 236 0 0.0 0%
Pierce 12 554 0 28.8 0%
Polk 5 512 0 11.5 0%
Portage 7 502 0 9.9 0%
Price 1 132 0 7.4 0%
Racine 634 3,433 16 324.5 3%
Richland 13 329 2 74.1 15%
Rock 343 3,005 12 212.0 3%
Rusk 4 161 0 28.2 0%
Sauk 69 1,361 3 108.5 4%
Sawyer 4 345 0 24.4 0%
Shawano 20 516 0 48.8 0%
Sheboygan 65 1,251 2 56.4 3%
St. Croix 26 848 0 29.6 0%
Taylor 0 146 0 0.0 0%
Trempealeau 5 663 0 17.0 0%
Vernon 3 524 0 9.8 0%
Vilas 4 194 0 18.5 0%
Walworth 226 1,242 10 219.4 4%
Washburn 1 227 0 6.4 0%
Washington 114 2,142 4 84.7 4%
Waukesha 387 4,941 22 97.0 6%
Waupaca 11 539 1 21.4 9%
Waushara 4 243 0 16.6 0%
Winnebago 91 1,766 1 53.6 1%
Wood 2 678 0 2.7 0%
Total 9,590 97,265 384 166.0 4%

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