COVID-19 Testing Slows
State reports declining testing totals four days in a row, while positive test rate remains steady.
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.
For the fourth day in a row, the number of COVID-19 tests processed across Wisconsin fell. But the percentage of tests coming back positive remains consistent.
According to figures released Tuesday afternoon by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 1,359 COVID-19 tests were processed in the last 24 hours. Wisconsin labs have processed an average of 1,606 tests per day in April.
The state continues to report that testing capacity far outpaces the number of tests processed. On Monday DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said 36 labs across the state had the capacity to process 7,238 tests a day. Officials have encouraged physicians to order more tests for suspected COVID-19 cases, but remain concerned about the supply chain for the multiple test types being used.
The new data includes 121 positive cases increasing the total to 4,620 over the course of the outbreak. Across April, 9.76 percent of those tested have registered a positive reading, including 9.78 percent over the past three days.
Throughout the outbreak, 1,252 people (27 percent) have needed hospitalization for COVID-19. The percentage overstates the total hospitalization rate from contracting COVID-19 because for weeks state guidance restricted testing access to those needing hospitalization or healthcare workers.
The Badger Bounce Back plan announced yesterday calls for the state to ultimately increase testing capacity to over 12,000 tests per day and reduce the percentage of people testing positive.
The confirmed death toll from the disease grew by 12 Tuesday to 242. Thirty-three percent of those that passed have been 90 years old or older, 73 percent have been 60 or older. Thirty-four percent of those that have perished have been African American, while only 6.4 percent of state residents are African American.
According to DHS data, 139 deaths have occurred from the disease in Milwaukee County. The county has 2,234 confirmed cases of the disease, 234.1 cases per 100,000 residents.
The state does not report data on recoveries as limited testing capacity and other healthcare restrictions prevent active tracking of the measure said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer of the DHS Bureau of Communicable Diseases, on Monday. But that doesn’t mean they are still stricken with the disease. “A large number of those have recovered because the illness is generally self limited,” said Westergaard.
Charts and Maps
Wisconsin COVID-19 summary
| Status | Number (%) of People as of 4/21/2020 |
|---|---|
| Negative Test Results | 47,841 |
| Positive Test Results | 4,620 |
| Hospitalizations | 1,252 (27%) |
| Deaths | 242 |
Percent of COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender
| Gender | Confirmed Cases as of 4/21/2020 | Deaths as of 4/21/2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 53% | 42% |
| Male | 47% | 58% |
| Total Number | 4,620 | 242 |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race
| Race | Number of cases as of 4/21/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/21/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/21/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/21/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian | 41 | 1% | 3 | 1% |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 125 | 3% | 5 | 2% |
| Black | 1,125 | 24% | 82 | 34% |
| White | 2,386 | 52% | 146 | 60% |
| Multiple or Other races | 177 | 4% | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 766 | 17% | 6 | 2% |
| Total | 4,620 | 100% | 242 | 100% |
Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race
| Race | Number of cases as of 4/21/2020 | Percent of cases as of 4/21/2020 | Number of deaths as of 4/21/2020 | Percent of deaths as of 4/21/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian | 41 | 1% | 3 | 1% |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 125 | 3% | 5 | 2% |
| Black | 1,125 | 24% | 82 | 34% |
| White | 2,386 | 52% | 146 | 60% |
| Multiple or Other races | 177 | 4% | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 766 | 17% | 6 | 2% |
| Total | 4,620 | 100% | 242 | 100% |
Number of positive cases and deaths by county
| Wisconsin County | Positive as of 4/21/2020 | Negative as of 4/21/2020 | Deaths as of 4/21/2020 | Rate (positive cases per 100,000 people) as of 4/21/2020 | Case fatality percentage (percent of cases who died) as of 4/21/2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 4 | 113 | 1 | 19.9 | 25% |
| Ashland | 2 | 77 | 0 | 12.7 | 0% |
| Barron | 6 | 594 | 0 | 13.3 | 0% |
| Bayfield | 3 | 108 | 1 | 20.0 | 33% |
| Brown | 314 | 1,328 | 2 | 120.9 | 1% |
| Buffalo | 4 | 137 | 1 | 30.4 | 25% |
| Burnett | 0 | 68 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Calumet | 6 | 259 | 0 | 12.0 | 0% |
| Chippewa | 20 | 748 | 0 | 31.4 | 0% |
| Clark | 17 | 143 | 1 | 49.3 | 6% |
| Columbia | 27 | 578 | 1 | 47.4 | 4% |
| Crawford | 3 | 159 | 0 | 18.4 | 0% |
| Dane | 381 | 7,022 | 19 | 71.9 | 5% |
| Dodge | 19 | 661 | 1 | 21.6 | 5% |
| Door | 9 | 108 | 1 | 32.8 | 11% |
| Douglas | 8 | 395 | 0 | 18.4 | 0% |
| Dunn | 9 | 744 | 0 | 20.2 | 0% |
| Eau Claire | 22 | 1,476 | 0 | 21.4 | 0% |
| Florence | 2 | 14 | 0 | 46.1 | 0% |
| Fond du Lac | 65 | 1,070 | 3 | 63.5 | 5% |
| Forest | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Grant | 23 | 411 | 3 | 44.4 | 13% |
| Green | 9 | 238 | 0 | 24.4 | 0% |
| Green Lake | 1 | 128 | 0 | 5.3 | 0% |
| Iowa | 7 | 193 | 0 | 29.6 | 0% |
| Iron | 2 | 27 | 1 | 35.0 | 50% |
| Jackson | 12 | 191 | 1 | 58.5 | 8% |
| Jefferson | 32 | 647 | 0 | 37.8 | 0% |
| Juneau | 10 | 247 | 1 | 37.9 | 10% |
| Kenosha | 264 | 1,492 | 6 | 156.8 | 2% |
| Kewaunee | 8 | 87 | 1 | 39.3 | 13% |
| La Crosse | 25 | 1,554 | 0 | 21.2 | 0% |
| Lafayette | 3 | 72 | 0 | 17.9 | 0% |
| Langlade | 0 | 73 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Lincoln | 0 | 136 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Manitowoc | 7 | 230 | 0 | 8.8 | 0% |
| Marathon | 17 | 506 | 1 | 12.6 | 6% |
| Marinette | 6 | 227 | 1 | 14.8 | 17% |
| Marquette | 3 | 121 | 1 | 19.7 | 33% |
| Menominee | 1 | 18 | 0 | 21.8 | 0% |
| Milwaukee | 2,234 | 9,813 | 139 | 234.1 | 6% |
| Monroe | 13 | 556 | 0 | 28.6 | 0% |
| Oconto | 5 | 200 | 0 | 13.3 | 0% |
| Oneida | 6 | 229 | 0 | 17.0 | 0% |
| Outagamie | 35 | 883 | 2 | 18.9 | 6% |
| Ozaukee | 80 | 709 | 9 | 90.6 | 11% |
| Pepin | 0 | 87 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Pierce | 8 | 313 | 0 | 19.2 | 0% |
| Polk | 4 | 184 | 0 | 9.2 | 0% |
| Portage | 4 | 221 | 0 | 5.7 | 0% |
| Price | 1 | 57 | 0 | 7.4 | 0% |
| Racine | 185 | 1,444 | 10 | 94.7 | 5% |
| Richland | 8 | 194 | 1 | 45.6 | 13% |
| Rock | 83 | 1,274 | 4 | 51.3 | 5% |
| Rusk | 4 | 95 | 0 | 28.2 | 0% |
| Sauk | 34 | 557 | 3 | 53.5 | 9% |
| Sawyer | 2 | 208 | 0 | 12.2 | 0% |
| Shawano | 6 | 240 | 0 | 14.6 | 0% |
| Sheboygan | 43 | 650 | 2 | 37.3 | 5% |
| St. Croix | 11 | 327 | 0 | 12.5 | 0% |
| Taylor | 0 | 77 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Trempealeau | 1 | 371 | 0 | 3.4 | 0% |
| Vernon | 0 | 294 | 0 | 0.0 | 0% |
| Vilas | 4 | 99 | 0 | 18.5 | 0% |
| Walworth | 90 | 550 | 7 | 87.4 | 8% |
| Washburn | 1 | 120 | 0 | 6.4 | 0% |
| Washington | 87 | 1,354 | 3 | 64.7 | 3% |
| Waukesha | 272 | 2,743 | 13 | 68.2 | 5% |
| Waupaca | 4 | 276 | 1 | 7.8 | 25% |
| Waushara | 2 | 100 | 0 | 8.3 | 0% |
| Winnebago | 40 | 849 | 1 | 23.5 | 3% |
| Wood | 2 | 327 | 0 | 2.7 | 0% |
| Total | 4,620 | 47,841 | 242 | 80.0 | 5% |
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“Officials have encouraged physicians to order more tests for suspected COVID-19 cases”
“The state does not report data on recoveries as limited testing capacity”
Right-hand, meet left-hand….
Could you please report on WHY we have limited testing capacity? Every day, it’s reported that the Governor has ordered more widespread testing, that there is limited testing capacity…and then you move on to the numbers, leaving the elephant in the room to graze contentedly on his invisible banana leaves. Some investigation into why there is limited testing capacity, what is in short supply (my understanding is that it’s the testing materials, but it’s also probably PPE) and why we are in this situation is called for. Thank you.