New reports of COVID-19 cases continued a slow but steady decline in Wisconsin, based on the latest data published by the state Department of Health Services.
DHS reported 383 new cases of the disease Wednesday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 394 daily cases. One week ago, the average was 491 daily cases; two weeks ago it was 626. The seven-day average dipped to 371 in early March before rising again to 823 on April 14. It has been declining for the last month.
There were 3,444 negative tests reported Wednesday.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
As COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin continue to decline, more of the state’s residents are being vaccinated against the disease.
A total of 4,921,930 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Wednesday, with 77.9 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up fully vaccinated.
As of Wednesday, 2,318,740 people in Wisconsin, or 39.8 percent of the population, have been fully vaccinated.
Increasing rates of vaccination have provided a sense of hope after a yearlong pandemic that has claimed the lives of 6,976 people in Wisconsin. There were five new deaths from COVID-19 reported Wednesday.
Other DHS data from Wednesday include:
- 607,138 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
- 3,521,882 total tests administered, 2,914,744 of which have been negative since the pandemic began.
- 30,416 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, or 5 percent of all positive cases, since the pandemic began.
- Daily testing capacity remains at 59,273, though only 3,827 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 May 11, DHS data showed the state had two counties — Polk and St. Croix — 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 eight. Wisconsin’s overall COVID-19 activity level is “high.”
For more about COVID-19, visit Coronavirus in Wisconsin.
___________________________
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
