There have been 23,198 positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health Services. That’s an increase of 266 cases from the day before.
According to health officials, 703 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon, with nine new deaths reported since Monday.
DHS reported 414,330 total negative tests for the coronavirus, an increase of 10,883 from Monday to Tuesday.
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As of Tuesday, 74 percent of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered, according to DHS. Three percent have died.
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 16,668 as of Tuesday. The number of actual tests reported on Tuesday was 11,149.
An increase in testing is one reason for the increase in the number of positive cases. The percentage of positive tests was 2.4 percent on Tuesday. Positive test rates have mostly hovered between 2 and 3 percent over the past two weeks.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Wisconsin National Guard teams had collected 131,441 specimens across the state as of Monday. Approximately 30 troops are working at a call center that informs people of their COVID-19 test results. Nearly 500 citizen soldiers and airmen continue to support local health departments and DHS in an effort to increase the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity.
As of Tuesday, Wisconsin was seeing a 14-day downward trajectory in reports of COVID-like cases — a key metric signifying COVID-19 is under control. DHS also reported a downward trajectory in the percentage of positive tests, but said that downward trend is “not statistically significant.”
According to DHS, 3,096 people have been hospitalized because of the virus as of Tuesday. That means at least 13 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 6,624 people, or 29 percent.
There have been confirmed cases in all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties, though not all cases are currently active.
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