DHS Official: ‘We Really Must Take Action’ As COVID-19 Variants Spread

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

DHS reported 1,046 new cases of the disease Thursday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 733 daily cases. Thursday’s new case total is the highest that figure has been since Feb. 11, when there were 1,239 new cases.

In a media briefing, DHS Chief Medial Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard said emerging variants of the virus are particularly concerning as new cases continue to climb. Variants like B.1.1.7, he said, are more contagious and are becoming the primary strains in Wisconsin and nationwide.

“We really must take action,” he said, adding that the strategy for keeping the virus at bay has not changed; vaccination, masks and physical distancing are still effective in stopping the spread.

There were 4,800 negative tests reported Thursday.

While COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have ticked back up in recent days, more of the state’s residents are being vaccinated against the disease.

A total of 3,286,594 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Wisconsin as of Thursday, with 66.4 percent of Wisconsinites age 65 and up fully vaccinated.

As of Thursday, 1,276,478 people in Wisconsin, or 21.9 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 6,667 people in Wisconsin. There were 14 new deaths from COVID-19 reported Thursday.

Other DHS data from Thursday include:

• 582,843 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
• 3,344,000 total tests administered, 2,761,157 of which have been negative since the pandemic began.
• 27,971 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, or 4.8 percent of all positive cases, since the pandemic began.
• Daily testing capacity remains at 59,273, though only 5,846 new test results were reported Thursday.

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 “critically high,” “very high,” “high,” “medium,” to “low.”

As of Wednesday, DHS data showed the state had no counties with a “critically high” level of COVID-19 activity. One county — St. Croix — has a “very high” level, and the majority of Wisconsin counties have “high” levels of activity. There were growing case trajectories in 23 counties, and shrinking trajectories in two. Wisconsin’s overall COVID-19 activity level is “high.”

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

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