Weekly COVID-19 Cases Declining

One week ago it became clear the surge caused by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had peaked. The latest data confirms a continued downward trend in disease.

Despite this sustained drop in the number of new cases identified every day, there is still a high level of disease in Milwaukee County.

The latest data from a weekly report produced by epidemiologists and faculty from the Medical College of Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee and public health officials shows there were 2,259 new cases in the county between Jan. 26 and Feb 1. During the seven days prior, there were 3,693 new cases.

The number of new cases among children have been similarly dropping in recent weeks. There were 638 new cases among children this past week and 1,030 the week prior.

Hospitalizations and deaths, however, are not dropping. They are often referred to as lagging indicators of disease because of how long it takes for someone to become severely ill with COVID-19 after infection.

This past week, 862 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 859 the week before. There were 25 deaths due to COVID-19, and 29 deaths the week prior.

The county’s transmission rate is holding at levels that indicate suppression of the disease. This metric captures how many people, on average, will be infected with COVID-19 from a single identified case of the disease. The county’s most recent weekly transmission rate was 0.699. Anything below 1.0 indicates suppression.

The positivity rate, which measures how many tests come back positive for COVID-19, dropped this past week to 13.1% from 17.8% the week prior.

Despite indicators pointing to declining disease levels, they still show high levels of disease.

In the city of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Health Department released data this week that showed there continues to be “extreme transmission” of COVID-19, with a disease burden rate of approximately 400 cases per 100,000 people. 

During the past week, .5% of county residents eligible for the vaccine (5 years and older) became fully vaccinated. The county’s vaccination rate for eligible residents now stands at 62.8%, up from 62.3% the week before.

Among those eligible to receive a booster shot (12 years and older), 57% have received one.

Racial and ethnic disparities in disease outcomes and vaccination rates continue. 

Black county residents have suffered from a disproportionately high rate of hospitalization due to COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. Recently, the cumulative number of hospitalizations among Black residents has risen nearly as high as the cumulative number of hospitalizations among white residents, despite white residents making up a significantly larger percentage of the county’s population.

Black residents also have the lowest rate of vaccination in the county. Asian American residents have the highest rate, followed by American Indian and Alaskan Native residents, then white residents and then Hispanic residents.

Read the weekly report here. Read the kids report here. Read the vaccination report here.