Jeramey Jannene
Daily

Wisconsin Sets COVID-19 Testing Record, Another Hospitalization High

All 72 counties have COVID-19 cases for the first time.

By - May 21st, 2020 02:30 pm
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COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.

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

Wisconsin blew past its one-day COVID-19 testing record by 42 percent on Thursday.

According to the Department of Health Services, 9,410 tests were processed in the past 24 hours, an increase of 2,819 over yesterday’s record high of 6,591. DHS reports the state has the capacity to process 14,140 tests per day.

The number of cases did not set a record high, with 472 new cases recorded, the third-highest total on record. A total of 13,885 Wisconsin residents have tested positive for the disease. DHS reports 58 percent have recovered, defined by a positive test over 30 days ago or a record of symptom abatement.

The percentage of tests coming back positive was 5.02 percent. “That’s a good percentage. That’s where we want to be,” said DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm of the percentage during a Thursday afternoon press briefing. “We want that to go as low as it can.” It is below the seven-day average of 6.03 percent and 14-day average of 6.23 percent.

But the number of hospitalizations is growing. A total of 57 people were newly hospitalized with the disease in the past 24 hours, a 30-day high and above the average of 35 since DHS began reporting the data daily on April 4th. It’s the second day in a row a new 30-day high has been recorded.

State officials say they’re monitoring the hospitalizations, but aren’t directly linking the cases to the Supreme Court ending the “Safer at Home” order.

“We generally think that the lag on hospitalizations is about three to five weeks,” said Palm. “Any uptick we are seeing in hospitalizations right now is not the result of Safer at Home ending.”

“It’s too early to say that the numbers we saw today and yesterday are part of a trend,” said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer at the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases. He said some people need hospitalization shortly after contracting the disease, but others could have few symptoms for weeks before getting worse.

The increase is notable in Milwaukee County. A total of 183 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19. “This is a concerning 29 percent increase in COVID-19 patients in our hospitals,” said Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County medical services director, during a Wednesday afternoon press briefing.

Milwaukee County is the site of 5,556 of the 13,885 confirmed cases and 269 of the 487 deaths according to state data. That’s an increase of four deaths over yesterday as the statewide total went up by six.

Both Brown and Racine counties continue to have greater per capita outbreaks than Milwaukee.

Brown County, which is anchored by Green Bay, has 838 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 821.8 yesterday). Racine County has 596.7 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 570.6). Milwaukee County has 582.3 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 563.1).

Kenosha (547.1), Walworth (306.8), Rock (304.8), Kewaunee (157.2) and Grant (150.5) are the only other counties with more than 150 cases per 100,000 presidents.

The statewide average of cases per 100,000 residents has risen to 240.3 (up from 232.1).

Statewide 398 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of 46 over the past seven days. A total of 218 people are hospitalized with a COVID-19 test pending, an increase of 30 in the past week. Across the state, 16 percent of people confirmed to have the disease have required hospitalization.

There are currently 956 ventilators and 383 intensive care unit (ICU) 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 930 ventilators and 424 ICU beds as available.

Charts and Maps

Wisconsin COVID-19 summary

Status Number (%) of People as of 5/21/2020
Negative Test Results 163,238
Positive Test Results 13,885
Hospitalizations 2,218 (16%)
Deaths 487

Percent of COVID-19 cases by hospitalization status

Hospitalization status Number of confirmed cases as of 5/21/2020 Percent of confirmed cases as of 5/21/2020
Ever hospitalized 2,218 16%
Never hospitalized 7,965 57%
Unknown 3,702 27%
Total 13,885 100%

Summary of COVID-19 cases by age group

Age Group (Years) Cases as of 5/21/2020 Ever hospitalized as of 5/21/2020 Any Intensive Care as of 5/21/2020 Deaths as of 5/21/2020
<10 277 11 0 0
10-19 741 24 2 0
20-29 2,335 105 18 4
30-39 2,462 159 26 5
40-49 2,360 255 62 13
50-59 2,247 383 96 44
60-69 1,649 484 146 80
70-79 921 420 104 135
80-89 603 280 53 116
90+ 290 97 19 90
Total 13,885 2,218 526 487

Percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender

Gender Confirmed Cases as of 5/21/2020 Deaths as of 5/21/2020
Female 51% 42%
Male 49% 58%
Unknown 0% 0%
Total Number 13,885 487

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race

Race Number of cases as of 5/21/2020 Percent of cases as of 5/21/2020 Number of deaths as of 5/21/2020 Percent of deaths as of 5/21/2020
American Indian 162 1% 6 1%
Asian or Pacific Islander 523 4% 12 2%
Black 2,743 20% 136 28%
White 7,389 53% 324 67%
Multiple or Other races 1,584 11% 2 0%
Unknown 1,484 11% 7 1%
Total 13,885 100% 487 100%

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by ethnicity

Ethnicity Number of cases as of 5/21/2020 Percent of cases as of 5/21/2020 Number of deaths as of 5/21/2020 Percent of deaths as of 5/21/2020
Hispanic or Latino 4,413 32% 40 8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 7,898 57% 440 90%
Unknown 1,574 11% 7 1%
Total 13,885 100% 487 100%

Number of positive cases and deaths by county

Wisconsin County Positive as of 5/21/2020 Negative as of 5/21/2020 Deaths as of 5/21/2020 Rate (positive cases per 100,000 people) as of 5/21/2020 Case fatality percentage (percent of cases who died) as of 5/21/2020
Adams 4 440 1 19.9 25%
Ashland 2 335 0 12.7 0%
Barron 11 1,424 0 24.3 0%
Bayfield 3 350 1 20.0 33%
Brown 2,177 10,298 29 838.0 1%
Buffalo 5 538 1 38.0 20%
Burnett 1 338 1 6.6 100%
Calumet 61 1,109 1 122.5 2%
Chippewa 45 1,926 0 70.7 0%
Clark 29 606 4 84.1 14%
Columbia 36 1,630 1 63.2 3%
Crawford 24 635 0 147.3 0%
Dane 576 20,671 26 108.7 5%
Dodge 121 2,221 1 137.9 1%
Door 34 691 3 123.9 9%
Douglas 15 960 0 34.6 0%
Dunn 20 1,632 0 44.9 0%
Eau Claire 82 3,660 0 79.6 0%
Florence 2 222 0 46.1 0%
Fond du Lac 148 3,137 4 144.7 3%
Forest 11 258 0 122.0 0%
Grant 78 1,832 10 150.5 13%
Green 49 959 0 132.9 0%
Green Lake 12 489 0 64.0 0%
Iowa 11 557 0 46.6 0%
Iron 2 189 1 35.0 50%
Jackson 15 753 1 73.1 7%
Jefferson 67 1,908 2 79.1 3%
Juneau 22 736 1 83.3 5%
Kenosha 921 5,120 21 547.1 2%
Kewaunee 32 478 1 157.2 3%
La Crosse 47 3,931 0 39.9 0%
Lafayette 16 400 0 95.6 0%
Langlade 1 320 0 5.2 0%
Lincoln 3 377 0 10.8 0%
Manitowoc 28 1,336 1 35.3 4%
Marathon 35 1,839 1 25.9 3%
Marinette 28 1,521 2 69.1 7%
Marquette 3 372 1 19.7 33%
Menominee 2 315 0 43.7 0%
Milwaukee 5,556 30,523 269 582.3 5%
Monroe 16 1,655 1 35.2 6%
Oconto 31 1,135 0 82.5 0%
Oneida 7 575 0 19.8 0%
Outagamie 161 4,766 5 87.1 3%
Ozaukee 131 1,531 11 148.4 8%
Pepin 1 314 0 13.8 0%
Pierce 30 939 0 72.1 0%
Polk 9 905 1 20.8 11%
Portage 8 1,202 0 11.3 0%
Price 2 220 0 14.8 0%
Racine 1,166 6,236 20 596.7 2%
Richland 14 489 4 79.8 29%
Rock 493 4,708 14 304.8 3%
Rusk 4 250 0 28.2 0%
Sauk 77 2,332 3 121.1 4%
Sawyer 7 693 0 42.8 0%
Shawano 36 1,098 0 87.8 0%
Sheboygan 76 2,114 3 66.0 4%
St. Croix 57 1,868 0 64.8 0%
Taylor 1 260 0 4.9 0%
Trempealeau 13 1,060 0 44.2 0%
Vernon 13 862 0 42.6 0%
Vilas 5 310 0 23.2 0%
Walworth 316 2,417 11 306.8 3%
Washburn 2 383 0 12.7 0%
Washington 171 2,586 4 127.1 2%
Waukesha 527 8,276 24 132.1 5%
Waupaca 19 1,094 1 36.9 5%
Waushara 7 586 0 29.0 0%
Winnebago 141 3,932 1 83.0 1%
Wood 9 1,406 0 12.3 0%
Total 13,885 163,238 487 240.3 4%

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