New reports of COVID-19 cases are the lowest they’ve been since March 2020, based on the latest data published by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
DHS reported 56 new cases of the disease Tuesday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 179 daily cases. One week ago, the average was 313 daily cases.
As COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin continue to decline, more of the state’s residents are being vaccinated against the disease.
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A total of 5,166,869 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Tuesday, with 79 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up having completed the vaccination series. According to DHS, 19 percent of the state’s 12- to 15-year-olds have had their first doses of vaccine. That age group became eligible May 13.
As of Tuesday, 2,444,549 people in Wisconsin, or 42 percent of the population, have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second Pfizer or Moderna dose or two weeks after Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
Increasing rates of vaccination have provided a sense of hope after a yearlong pandemic that has claimed the lives of 7,094 people in Wisconsin. There were three new deaths from COVID-19 reported Tuesday. Health officials also estimate an additional 781 deaths over the course of the pandemic.
Other DHS data from Tuesday include:
- 610,224 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
- The seven-day average for test positivity is 1.7 percent, the lowest number since March 10, 2020, when one test was positive and 18 were negative.
- As of Monday, 186 Wisconsinites were hospitalized with COVID-19, a decrease of 68 from a week ago, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
- Daily testing capacity remains at 59,273, though preliminary data shows 3,636 people were tested Monday.
On Tuesday, Sawyer and Rusk counties had the highest levels of COVID-19 activity in the state. In Pepin, Lincoln, Florence and Door counties, the seven-day average for new cases was zero.
For more about COVID-19, visit Coronavirus in Wisconsin.
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