DHS: 12,885 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Wisconsin

467 People Have Died From The New Coronavirus In Wisconsin So Far

By
A member of staff hands over a COVID-19 self test kit
A member of staff hands over a COVID-19 self test kit to a member of the public at a drive-thru test site at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Los Angeles County reopened its beaches Wednesday in the latest cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions that have closed most California public spaces and businesses for nearly two months. The move comes as California tentatively eases some stay-at-home restrictions. Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

There are 12,885 positive cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin as of Tuesday, according to the state Department of Health Services. That’s an increase of 198 cases from the day before.

According to health officials, 467 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon.

DHS reported 148,237 negative tests for the new coronavirus, an increase of 3,735 from Monday to Tuesday.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Wisconsin’s daily testing capacity has grown from 120 available lab tests in early March to 13,392 as of Tuesday. The surge in new tests is one reason for the increase in positive cases. The percentage of positive tests rose from 2.9 percent Monday to 5 percent Tuesday.

Gov. Tony Evers’ “Badger Bounce Back” plan no longer has the force of law following a state Supreme Court ruling last week, but the state’s dashboard for the reopening plan shows that Wisconsin has met key gating criteria of a 14-day downward trajectory in flu-like illnesses and COVID-like cases. However, the percentage of positive tests over that period is no longer on a downward trajectory over a 14-day period, nor is there a downward trend of COVID-19 cases among health care workers, calculated weekly.

Wisconsin’s criteria for reopening were largely based on federal recommendations.

According to DHS, 2,110 people have been hospitalized because of the virus as of Tuesday. That means at least 16 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 3,296 cases, or 26 percent.

There are confirmed cases in 70 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Langlade and Taylor counties have no confirmed cases as of Tuesday afternoon.