Wisconsin has surpassed 600,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, based on the latest data published by the state Department of Health Services.
DHS reported 721 new cases of the disease Tuesday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 633 daily cases. One week ago, the average was 604 daily cases.
That brings the total cases of COVID-19 to 600,297 since the pandemic began. During a press conference, DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk called it “a grim milestone.”
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“After this long, I know it can feel overwhelming to hear that cases are still increasing and we’re still losing friends and neighbors to this virus. And that is why it is so important to get vaccinated,” Willems Van Dijk said. “It is our most effective tool to get through this pandemic and the more of us who get vaccinated, the faster we can get there.”
She said the state is continuing to do everything they can to make the vaccine as accessible as possible to residents. Currently, new cases of COVID-19 are highest among young adults and children under age 18. Only those 16 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer-BioNTech has asked federal regulators to approve its vaccine for use in those age 12-15. Planning at the state level is underway if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants approval, which could come as early as next week.
“We’re certainly preparing for it and will be ready, when and if, it happens,” said Willems Van Dijk.
A total of 4,497,245 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Tuesday, with 75.5 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up fully vaccinated.
As of Tuesday, 2,021,685 people in Wisconsin, or 34.7 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 6,850 people in Wisconsin. There were 11 new deaths from COVID-19 reported Tuesday.
There were 2,799 negative tests reported Tuesday.
Other DHS data from Tuesday include:
- 3,459,970 total tests administered, 2,859,673 of which have been negative since the pandemic began.
- 29,527 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, or 4.9 percent of all positive cases, since the pandemic began.
- Daily testing capacity remains at 59,273, though only 3,520 new test results were reported Tuesday.
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 five counties, all in northwest Wisconsin, with a “very high” level, while the majority of Wisconsin counties had “high” levels of activity. There were growing case trajectories in three counties. Wisconsin’s overall COVID-19 activity level is “high.”
For more about COVID-19, visit Coronavirus in Wisconsin.
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