Donate
Search wpr.org
A fresh new WPR is coming. New schedules start May 20. Learn more -->

DHS Reports 19 New Deaths From COVID-19

30 Percent Of State Population Fully Vaccinated Against The Virus

By
UW Hospital Covid unit in November 2020
Nurses and doctors at UW Hospital walk through a hallway Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020, in one of the hospital’s COVID-19 units, where patients are treated for the disease. Angela Major/WPR

New reports of COVID-19 cases are on a steady decline in Wisconsin, based on the latest data published by the state Department of Health Services.

DHS reported 494 new cases of the disease Saturday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 620 daily cases. One week ago, the average was 743 daily cases.

There were 3,645 negative tests reported Saturday.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

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

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

A total of 4,125,027 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Saturday, with 73.5 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up fully vaccinated.

As of Saturday, 30.4 percent of the state population has been fully vaccinated.

Increasing rates of vaccination have provided a sense of hope after a yearlong pandemic that has claimed the lives of 6,757 people in Wisconsin. There were 19 new deaths from COVID-19 reported Saturday.

Other DHS data from Saturday include:

  • 594,283 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
  • 3,418,775 total tests administered, 2,824,492 of which have been negative since the pandemic began.
  • 28,927 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 4,139 new test results were reported Saturday.

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 three counties — Burnett, 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 two counties. 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.

Related Stories