More Than 7K People Have Died From COVID-19 In Wisconsin

Although Wisconsin has passed another grim milestone with COVID-19 deaths now surpassing 7,000, new reports of COVID-19 cases are on the decline in the state, based on the latest data published by the Department of Health Services.

DHS reported 330 new cases of the disease Wednesday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 307 daily cases. One week ago, the average was 394 daily cases. Wednesday’s average new cases is the lowest that figure has been since June 23, when the state was averaging 304 new cases.

There were 3,264 negative tests reported Wednesday.

As COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin continue to decline, more of the state’s residents are being vaccinated against the disease.

A total of 5,087,871 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Wednesday, with 78.7 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up having completed the vaccination series. According to DHS, 16.3 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 Wednesday, 2,404,085 people in Wisconsin, or 41.3 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 7,003 people in Wisconsin. There were five new deaths from COVID-19 reported Wednesday.

Other DHS data from Wednesday include:

• 609,289 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
• 3,544,770 total tests administered, 2,935,481 of which have been negative since the pandemic began.
• 30,788 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, or 5.1 percent of all positive cases, since the pandemic began.
• Daily testing capacity remains at 59,273, though only 3,594 new test results were reported Wednesday.

Coronavirus rates vary from county to county. In order to track COVID-19 activity levels, DHS looks at the number of new cases per a county’s population over a 14-day period — and whether there’s an upward or downward trend in new cases. Activity levels range from “very high,” “high,” “medium,” to “low.”

As of Wednesday, DHS data showed the state had no counties with a “very high” level, while the majority of Wisconsin counties had “high” levels of activity. There were growing case trajectories in one county and shrinking trajectories in 12. Wisconsin’s overall COVID-19 activity level is “medium.”

For more about COVID-19, visit Coronavirus in Wisconsin.

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