New reports of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin appeared lower on Monday than in recent days, based on the latest data published by the state Department of Health Services.
DHS reported 1,335 new cases of the disease Monday, bringing the average for the past seven days to 1,934 daily cases.
These numbers are slightly lower than those from the past few days. For context, it’s typical for DHS to report fewer confirmed COVID-19 cases on Mondays, with labs usually posting fewer test results the day before.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
There were 19 new deaths from COVID-19 reported Monday. On Monday, 3,836 tested negative.
Of the people who got tested for COVID-19 over the past week, 24.6 percent were positive for the disease, according to DHS. That rate has been holding steady in recent days.
The positivity rate is often read by public health officials as a measure of overall testing levels. A high rate could indicate that testing in the state is limited, and skewed toward those already flagged as potentially having COVID-19. A lower rate could indicate testing is more widespread. Changes in the test positivity rate can also speak to COVID-19’s spread, if the size and makeup of the testing pool stays consistent.
On Sept. 30, DHS also introduced an alternative positivity rate, one that measures the percentage of tests that are positive, instead of the percentage of people who get a positive result. The new metric takes into account people who have been tested multiple times. The seven-day average for that number is at 8.2 percent.
According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, there were 1,113 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of Monday. A total of 20,911 people have been hospitalized because of the disease, or 4.4 percent of all positive cases.
The latest figures bring the overall total of positive cases in Wisconsin to 438,394, according to DHS. A total of 4,711 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19.
COVID-19 activity varies from county to county. The latest activity data from DHS, released last Wednesday, showed seven counties had a “critically high” level of COVID-19 activity, while 64 were listed as having a “very high” level of activity. Marquette County is the only county with a “high” level of activity. The number of Wisconsin counties at a “critically high” level of COVID-19 activity has been on the decline. Wisconsin’s overall level is “very high” for the third week in a row.
COVID-19 activity designations are based on the number of new cases per a county’s population over a 14-day period, as well as whether there’s an upward or downward trend in new cases.
As of last Wednesday, all seven of Wisconsin’s regions had “very high” levels of activity. All regions besides the Western part of the state are “shrinking” in activity, according to DHS.
Wisconsin’s daily testing capacity — based on the availability of test supplies and adequate staffing — has grown from 120 available lab tests in early March to 59,185 as of Monday. The number of actual people with new test results reported Sunday was 9,350.
A total of 2,808,684 people have been tested over the course of the pandemic. Of those, 2,336,531 have tested negative.
___________________________
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
