COVID-19 in Wisconsin: 7-day average closer to 400 cases/day

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – COVID-19 virus cases continue slowly creeping up and are close to erasing three weeks of gains. The state averaged 396 new cases per day in the past week, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, up from 360 on Friday. The average has been below 400 since March 10. The state averaged 275 cases per day since Friday, so it’s possible the 7-day average will go back down when we stop counting a few days last week with 400 to 500 cases per day. Watch this space.

Not helping much is the positivity rate, which according to the DHS is up another one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.4%. That’s the percentage of all tests coming back positive for the coronavirus over the past week. It’s up half a percent from last Monday.

The state’s COVID-19 death toll went down over the weekend. Friday it was 12,800, but after further review it was revised to 12,799. The state only received 1 COVID-19 death report in the past three days, and the 7-day average plunged to 3 deaths per day; that rolling average was 8 per day in Friday’s update.

Hospitalizations were also down sharply over the weekend with an average of about 8 admissions for COVID-19 per day. By our calculations, the 7-day average for hospitalizations is down to 19 per day.

Monday the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) reported 147 COVID-19 patients among the state’s 136 hospitals, the fewest since July 21 last year. Of these, 27 patients are in intensive care after reaching a 9-month low of 24 patients over the weekend.

Since Sunday afternoon, 4 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in the Fox Valley region, including 1 to ICU. Those hospitals had no COVID-19 patients 24 hours earlier. Hospitals in the Northeast health care region are still treating 15 people for COVID-19, 3 in ICU -- the same number in ICU as Sunday but 1 fewer patient overall.

Since Friday, vaccinators around the state only reported 154 Wisconsin residents getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 590 completing their vaccine series. Another 2,099 Wisconsinites were reported getting a booster shot. That’s 64.1% of the population getting one dose (3,741,048 people), including 60.8% of the population (3,544,512) that’s had both shots of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We’re at 33.5% of the population (1,956,518 people) getting a booster.

Monday’s Vaccinations by Age Group (and change from last report)

5 to 11: 27.2% received vaccine/24.3% (+0.1) completed vaccinations
12 to 17: 61.3% received vaccine/57.7% completed vaccinations
18 to 24: 60.0% received vaccine/54.4% completed vaccinations
25 to 34: 64.0% received vaccine/59.4% completed vaccinations
35 to 44: 69.1% received vaccine/65.6% completed vaccinations
45 to 54: 71.6% received vaccine/68.7% (+0.1) completed vaccinations
55 to 64: 78.0% received vaccine/75.4% completed vaccinations
65 and up: 85.5% received vaccine/82.3% completed vaccinations

Monday’s Vaccinations by County Population

Four counties in WBAY’s viewing area saw vaccination numbers revised after a review of the data.

County (Population) (Health region)	% of population with at least 1 dose	% of population completed series
Brown (264,542) (NE)	65.6%	62.8%
Calumet (50,089) (FV)	56.9%	54.7%
Dodge (87,839)	52.5%	50.2%
Door (27,668) (NE)	78.5% (-0.1)	74.4%
Florence (4,295) (NE)	52.7%	50.0%
Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE)	55.7%	53.2%
Forest (9,004)	52.7%	50.0%
Green Lake (18,913) (FV)	57.3% (-0.1)	54.6%
Kewaunee (20,434) (NE)	52.6%	51.0%
Langlade (19,189)	53.8%	51.6%
Manitowoc (78,981) (NE)	60.5%	58.2%
Marinette (40,350) (NE)	53.3%	50.9%
Menominee (4,556) (FV)	80.5%	76.7%
Oconto (37,930) (NE)	52.9%	51.0%
Outagamie (187,885) (FV)	64.2%	61.4%
Shawano (40,899) (FV)	47.9%	46.1%
Sheboygan (115,340) (SE)	62.9%	60.3%
Waupaca (50,990) (FV)	55.4% (-0.1)	53.4%
Waushara (24,443) (FV)	46.0% (-0.1)	44.0%
Winnebago (171,907) (FV)	62.2%	59.2%
NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE)	297,913 (62.8%)	285,473 (60.2%)
FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV)	329,907 (60.0%)	315,422 (57.4%)
WISCONSIN (5,822,434)	3,740.894 (64.1%)	3,543,922 (60.8%)

To find free COVID-19 vaccination sites near you, text your ZIP Code to 438829. Visit wbay.com/vaccine for a list of health care organizations offering vaccine shots.

MONDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (boldface indicates increase since last report)

Note: Effective this week, Michigan only updates county case and death totals on Wednesdays.

Brown – 69,971 cases (+21) (420 deaths)
Calumet – 11,504 cases (+5) (99 deaths)
Dickinson (Mich.) - 4,985 cases (86 deaths)
Dodge – 24,387 cases (+9) (291 deaths)
Door – 6,580 cases (+3) (61 deaths)
Florence - 811 cases (16 deaths)
Fond du Lac – 29,368 cases (+17) (251 deaths)
Forest - 2,427 cases (47 deaths)
Gogebic (Mich.) - 2,730 cases (40 deaths)
Green Lake - 4,187 cases (+2) (54 deaths)
Iron (Mich.) - 2,310 cases (71 deaths)
Kewaunee – 4,549 cases (+1) (42 deaths)
Langlade - 4,872 cases (+2) (71 deaths)
Manitowoc – 17,268 cases (+6) (158 deaths)
Marinette - 9,655 cases (+1) (104 deaths)
Menominee – 1,845 (14 deaths)
Menominee (Mich.) - 3,941 cases (60 deaths)
Oconto – 9,313 cases (+1) (95 deaths)
Outagamie – 42,350 cases (+17) (353 deaths)
Shawano – 9,734 cases (+2) (127 deaths)
Sheboygan – 29,361 cases (+14) (262 deaths)
Waupaca – 11,314 cases (+7) (193 deaths)
Waushara – 4,976 cases (+2) (70 deaths)
Winnebago – 43,806 cases (+16) (332 deaths)

You can find cases and deaths for all 72 Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website and for Michigan counties on the Michigan Department of Health COVID-19 website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association publish updates Mondays through Fridays. Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases from all health departments within a county’s boundaries, including tribal, municipal and county health departments; county websites may not. Also, public health departments update their data at various times, whereas the DHS freezes the numbers it receives by the same time every day to compile the afternoon report.