There are 13,413 positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health Services. That’s an increase of 528 cases from the day before.
According to health officials, 481 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon.
DHS reported 154,300 negative tests for the new coronavirus, an increase of 6,063 from Tuesday to Wednesday.
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Wisconsin’s daily testing capacity has grown from 120 available lab tests in early March to 14,140 as of Wednesday. The surge in new tests is one reason for the increase in positive cases. The percentage of positive tests rose from 2.9 percent Monday to 5 percent Tuesday to 8 percent Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers unveiled his plan for spending $1 billion in federal funds to combat COVID-19 in Wisconsin. The money will be used to pay for contact tracing, ongoing efforts to test people for the virus, and preparing for a potential surge.
Evers’ “Badger Bounce Back” plan no longer has the force of law following a state Supreme Court ruling last week, but the state’s dashboard for the reopening plan shows Wisconsin has met key gating criteria of a 14-day downward trajectory in flu-like illnesses and COVID-like cases. However, the percentage of positive tests over that period is no longer on a downward trajectory over a 14-day period, nor is there a downward trend of COVID-19 cases among health care workers, calculated weekly.
Wisconsin’s criteria for reopening were largely based on federal recommendations.
According to DHS, 2,161 people have been hospitalized because of the virus as of Wednesday. That means at least 16 percent of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the state have been hospitalized. DHS officials have said they don’t know the hospitalization history of 3,539, or 26 percent.
As of Wednesday, there are confirmed cases in all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties. Both Taylor and Langlade county health departments reported their first case Wednesday.
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