DHS: 4,845 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Wisconsin

There are 4,845 positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services announced Wednesday, a jump of 225 cases from the day before.

There was a significant spike in cases in Brown County. Health officials said they believe the increase is connected to the meatpacking plant JBS Packerland in Green Bay. So far, 147 cases have been linked to the facility.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Brown County had 410 positive cases of the new coronavirus. There were 317 cases Tuesday.

According to figures from DHS, 246 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 as of Wednesday afternoon.

DHS reports 1,302 people have been hospitalized because of the virus. That means at least 27 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 18 percent of cases.

Across the state, 49,502 people have tested negative for the virus so far. From Tuesday to Wednesday, the number of negative test results increased by 1,661.

With recent increases in testing capacity, health officials are loosening restrictions on who can get tested, subject to the availability of testing supplies.

Wisconsin has 36 labs performing COVID-19 tests, up from eight labs one month ago, Gov. Tony Evers said earlier this week.

There are confirmed cases in 65 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. The following counties have no confirmed cases as of Wednesday afternoon: Burnett, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Pepin, Taylor and Vernon.