Jeramey Jannene
WI Daily

COVID-19 Testing Continues to Fall

But cases aren't falling as fast.

By - Sep 2nd, 2020 07:19 pm
COVID-19. Credit: U.S. Army.

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

COVID-19 testing is falling again in Wisconsin after appearing to level off. A total of 57,836 Wisconsin residents were tested for the first time in the past seven days, the lowest total in over three months. The number has trended downward from a high of 99,920 on August 6th and was last lower on May 26th.

Meanwhile the number of residents testing positive for the disease has fallen at a slower rate. A total of 4,869 residents have tested positive for the disease in the past seven days. On August 6th (the testing high), the seven-day figure was 5,671, but on May 26th (the last testing low) the seven-day case figure stood at 2,978.

So is Wisconsin under testing and as a result a number of undiagnosed cases are contributing to undetected transmission networks? Hard to say. Undetected cases, if they exist in large numbers, should start to appear in hospitalization data in the coming weeks. But hospitalizations are down currently from where they were a week ago.

But there is another key variable: age.

Individuals ages 20 to 29 represent 25 percent of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, a percentage that has grown even as cases surged over the summer. The age group has a hospitalization rate of two percent.

The hospitalization rate for individuals ages 70 to 79 is 31 percent, 41 percent for individuals 80 to 89 and 35 percent for individuals 90 and older. But individuals 70 and above now represent only seven percentage of cases, a percentage that is shrinking.

The effects of schools reopening, the Labor Day weekend and cooling temperatures on transmission networks remains to be seen.

Data released Wednesday shows that Wisconsin 545 new cases from 8,376 processed tests.

The seven- and 14-day positive case rates, a measure of the percentage of tests confirming a new case of the disease, stand at 8.42 and 8.23 percent. The figures are down from yesterday, but up from a week ago. Officials have looked for them to trend downward and multiple public health benchmarks call for them to be sustained under five percent.

A total of 287 Wisconsin residents are currently hospitalized with a confirmed case of the disease according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association COVID-19 dashboard. The figure is down eight from yesterday and 57 from a week ago. DHS reports that 38 people were newly hospitalized in the past 24 hours, bringing the outbreak total to 5,916.

Twelve deaths were reported by DHS, bringing the statewide total to 1,142, 494 of which have been in Milwaukee County. An average of 6.43 deaths per day have been reported over the past 30 days.

According to DHS data, 2,568.9 out of every 100,000 Milwaukee County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 (up from 2,561.1) since the outbreak began. Iron County, the northern-most county that borders Michigan, has 2,156.1 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 2,104.72). Brown County has recorded 2,115.8 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 2,100.8). Racine County has recorded 2,074.3 cases per 100,000 residents (up from 2,062.7).

Kenosha (1,777.9), Walworth (1,682), Marinette (1,509.6), Trempealeau (1,452.3), Waukesha (1,417.3), Dodge (1,345.2), Waupaca (1,333.8) and Washington (1,241) are the only other counties with more than 1,200 cases per 100,000 residents.

The statewide average of cases per 100,000 residents rose to 1,334.2 (up from 1,324.7 yesterday). Wisconsin has recorded a per-capita rate of 170 per 100,000 in the past two weeks according to the DHS activity level report released Wednesday.

A total of 77,129 residents have tested positive for the disease.

Charts and Maps

Data from DHS.

Percent of COVID-19 cases by hospitalization status

Hospitalization status Number of confirmed cases as of 9/2/2020 Percent of confirmed cases as of 9/2/2020
Ever hospitalized 5,916 8%
Never hospitalized 45,334 59%
Unknown 25,879 34%
Total 77,129 100%

Percent of COVID-19 cases resulting in hospitalization within age group

Data from DHS.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by gender

Data from DHS.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by race

Data from DHS.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths by ethnicity

Data from DHS.

Number of positive cases and deaths by county

Number of confirmed cases Number of negatives* Number of probable cases Number of deaths** Cases per 100,000 people (counties)
Case fatality percentage***
Adams 9/2/2020 121 3,259 11 3 590.4 2.50%
Ashland 9/2/2020 35 2,071 6 1 220.6 2.90%
Barron 9/2/2020 375 7,504 19 3 817.3 0.80%
Bayfield 9/2/2020 47 2,485 9 1 309.1 2.10%
Brown 9/2/2020 5,508 59,870 162 58 2,115.80 1.10%
Buffalo 9/2/2020 69 2,011 4 2 510.8 2.90%
Burnett 9/2/2020 43 2,170 4 2 278.4 4.70%
Calumet 9/2/2020 520 7,976 29 2 1,010.20 0.40%
Chippewa 9/2/2020 354 12,230 22 0 551.2 0.00%
Clark 9/2/2020 247 4,537 8 8 711 3.20%
Columbia 9/2/2020 366 11,913 41 2 640.7 0.50%
Crawford 9/2/2020 107 3,947 5 0 646.3 0.00%
Dane 9/2/2020 5,564 165,861 371 40 1,052.80 0.70%
Dodge 9/2/2020 1,200 19,408 20 5 1,345.20 0.40%
Door 9/2/2020 134 5,516 9 3 477.7 2.20%
Douglas 9/2/2020 258 6,334 3 0 588 0.00%
Dunn 9/2/2020 179 6,735 17 0 399.8 0.00%
Eau Claire 9/2/2020 838 18,306 18 6 814.4 0.70%
Florence 9/2/2020 27 738 0 0 610.7 0.00%
Fond du Lac 9/2/2020 1,170 19,064 40 10 1,131.80 0.90%
Forest 9/2/2020 81 1,189 2 4 882.2 4.90%
Grant 9/2/2020 435 10,892 35 18 830.6 4.10%
Green 9/2/2020 269 6,205 20 1 729.7 0.40%
Green Lake 9/2/2020 94 3,065 26 0 492.5 0.00%
Iowa 9/2/2020 122 4,507 24 0 512.6 0.00%
Iron 9/2/2020 126 1,361 6 1 2,156.10 0.80%
Jackson 9/2/2020 76 5,895 3 1 368.1 1.30%
Jefferson 9/2/2020 932 16,035 71 6 1,100.70 0.60%
Juneau 9/2/2020 240 7,177 3 1 891.9 0.40%
Kenosha 9/2/2020 2,991 33,367 343 64 1,777.90 2.10%
Kewaunee 9/2/2020 191 3,051 2 2 925.2 1.00%
La Crosse 9/2/2020 1,208 21,089 49 2 1,020.80 0.20%
Lafayette 9/2/2020 185 2,849 6 0 1,095.80 0.00%
Langlade 9/2/2020 84 2,756 1 2 424.7 2.40%
Lincoln 9/2/2020 85 4,008 5 1 298.9 1.20%
Manitowoc 9/2/2020 541 12,514 21 2 674.1 0.40%
Marathon 9/2/2020 788 17,783 68 14 584.8 1.80%
Marinette 9/2/2020 618 8,474 20 6 1,509.60 1.00%
Marquette 9/2/2020 91 2,531 8 1 591.8 1.10%
Menominee 9/2/2020 29 1,962 0 0 661.8 0.00%
Milwaukee 9/2/2020 24,263 223,915 1,463 494 2,568.90 2.00%
Monroe 9/2/2020 290 8,786 11 2 630.5 0.70%
Oconto 9/2/2020 436 7,333 14 2 1,148.50 0.50%
Oneida 9/2/2020 218 6,513 5 0 607 0.00%
Outagamie 9/2/2020 1,974 32,008 152 20 1,074.00 1.00%
Ozaukee 9/2/2020 935 15,830 81 18 1,058.20 1.90%
Pepin 9/2/2020 48 1,173 2 0 653.2 0.00%
Pierce 9/2/2020 294 5,996 76 6 706.1 2.00%
Polk 9/2/2020 176 7,425 5 2 400.9 1.10%
Portage 9/2/2020 652 10,974 22 1 922 0.20%
Price 9/2/2020 36 2,192 2 0 260.7 0.00%
Racine 9/2/2020 4,049 55,240 379 91 2,074.30 2.20%
Richland 9/2/2020 51 3,550 11 4 287.9 7.80%
Rock 9/2/2020 1,718 29,908 165 26 1,072.00 1.50%
Rusk 9/2/2020 25 1,672 4 1 172 4.00%
Sauk 9/2/2020 654 17,151 59 3 1,043.30 0.50%
Sawyer 9/2/2020 162 3,986 0 0 977.7 0.00%
Shawano 9/2/2020 287 7,719 4 0 695.6 0.00%
Sheboygan 9/2/2020 1,091 19,329 48 9 952.7 0.80%
St. Croix 9/2/2020 646 13,102 57 7 732.7 1.10%
Taylor 9/2/2020 113 2,327 3 3 549.1 2.70%
Trempealeau 9/2/2020 426 5,617 13 2 1,452.30 0.50%
Vernon 9/2/2020 105 4,708 4 0 346.7 0.00%
Vilas 9/2/2020 114 3,482 1 0 526.4 0.00%
Walworth 9/2/2020 1,726 20,170 135 31 1,682.00 1.80%
Washburn 9/2/2020 69 2,415 1 0 435.2 0.00%
Washington 9/2/2020 1,669 21,261 54 29 1,241.00 1.70%
Waukesha 9/2/2020 5,650 69,172 551 75 1,417.30 1.30%
Waupaca 9/2/2020 690 9,121 96 18 1,333.80 2.60%
Waushara 9/2/2020 167 5,876 3 2 687.3 1.20%
Winnebago 9/2/2020 1,569 33,065 99 21 926.5 1.30%
Wood 9/2/2020 478 11,887 22 3 645.7 0.60%

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One thought on “WI Daily: COVID-19 Testing Continues to Fall”

  1. steenwyr says:

    >>> A total of 57,836 Wisconsin residents were tested for the first time in the past seven days

    Are there separate tabulations for those being tested for the first time and those being retested?

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