DHS: 21,038 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Wisconsin

There have been 21,038 positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Monday, according to the state Department of Health Services. That’s an increase of 203 cases from the day before.

According to health officials, 646 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon. The department reported 647 total deaths Sunday, but have since clarified that a duplicate record caused a miscount.

DHS reported 333,253 total negative tests for the new coronavirus, an increase of 7,386 from Sunday to Monday.

As of Monday, 68 percent of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered, according to DHS. Three percent have died from the virus.

Wisconsin’s daily testing capacity — based on the availability of test supplies and adequate staffing — has grown from 120 available lab tests in early March to 15,508 as of Monday. An increase in testing is one reason for the increase in the number of positive cases. The percentage of positive tests was 2.7 percent on Monday, up from Sunday’s 2.3 percent. The percentage has hovered around 3 percent for the past several days.

Wisconsin has seen a 14-day downward trajectory in the percentage of positive tests and in the number of reported COVID-like illnesses — key metrics signifying COVID-19 is under control.

Testing Efforts Continue To Ramp Up

The state first met its goal of testing 12,000 people per day for COVID-19 at the end of last month. On Monday, 7,386 tests were reported, after four days of the count hovering between 11,000 and 12,000.

While DHS is recommending people continue to practice social distancing, protests have erupted across the state and nation calling for an end to police brutality and racial injustice. Protest organizers — including Freedom Inc. in Madison — have asked those attending the protests to get tested for COVID-19. And last Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers testing is especially important after protests in areas where there have been high transmission of the disease, like Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.

Free COVID-19 testing sites are still in operation across the state and can be found on the DHS website.

According to DHS, 2,860 people have been hospitalized because of the virus as of Monday. That means at least 14 percent of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus in the state have been hospitalized. DHS officials said they don’t know the hospitalization history of 6,392 people, or 30 percent.

There are confirmed cases in all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties.