Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases Climb To 6,854 And 316 Deaths

Scott Anderson
·6 min read

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin health officials recorded eight new coronavirus-related deaths and more than 334 new cases over the last 24 hours as the state's running total of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 6,854 as of Thursday. The number of deaths from the new coronavirus reached 316 on Thursday.

As the Wisconsin Supreme Court weighs a Republican challenge to an extension of Gov. Tony Evers' Safer At Home order into late May, the governor has been publicly campaigning for the order.

This week, the governor stated that nearly one million state residents support the Safer at Home extension in briefs filed with the state supreme court.

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"Organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites filed amicus briefs asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to uphold the Evers Administration’s Safer at Home Order," the governor's office said in a statement. "Before the Safer at Home order, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 was doubling every 3.4 days, a rate similar to Italy and Spain, which have been devastated by COVID-19. With Safer at Home in place, the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 has doubled every 12.4 days."

Republican lawmakers in the Wisconsin State Legislature have the lawsuit last week, seeking to block Democratic Gov. Tony Evers stay-at-home order extension, citing a legal overreach by the state's Department of Health Services. Earlier, Evers directed State Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm to extend the state's stay-at-home order from April 24 to May 27.

Republican lawmakers are asking the conservatively-leaning State Supreme Court to prevent the extension of the stay-at-home order for six days, "to allow DHS sufficient time to promulgate a new emergency rule consistent with Wisconsin law," according to the suit. Even with liberal justice Jill Karofsky's victory over conservative incumbent Daniel Kelly on April 7, the court would still be 4-3 in favor of conservative justices.

In their lawsuit, which you can read in full here, Republican state legislators claim that an "un-elected, unconfirmed cabinet secretary has laid claim to a suite of czar-like powers—unlimited in scope and indefinite in duration—over the people of Wisconsin."

State Records Outbreaks, Investigations

State officials said Wisconsin has 187 COVID-19 facility-wide public health investigations and outbreaks in the five public health regions of Wisconsin.

Among the 93 public health investigations in long-term care facilities across Wisconsin, 20 facilities have single confirmed cases and 25 facilities have less than five confirmed cases.

In the state's southeastern region, which includes Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties, state officials said they've investigated 59 long-term care facilities, 32 workplaces, 11 group housing facilities, six health care facilities and five other settings.

Officials in their records have not disclosed which facilities they've investigated. Officials said a single COVID-19 case triggers an investigation at long-term facilities. Two or more cases trigger investigations at: group housing facilities, health care facilities, workplaces and other settings.

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New Emergency Orders Issued

Citing a need to reopen some Wisconsin businesses in a limited fashion, Gov. Tony Evers issued a new emergency order Monday, calling for new freedoms for nonessential businesses to operate amid the coronavirus public health emergency.

"No one wants to reopen our economy as much as I do," Evers said Monday. "This order means that every business across our state can do things like deliveries, mailings, curbside pickup and drop-off, and it's an important step in making sure that while folks are staying safer at home, they can also continue to support small businesses across our state."

Read more about the new order here: Some Wisconsin Businesses Can Reopen Under New Order

The governor's office said the state Department of Natural Resources will reopen 34 state parks and forests on May 1, 2020 under special conditions to help minimize overcrowding, allow for social distancing requirements, and to promote a safe and enjoyable experience for staff and visitors.

"Outdoor recreation is important for both physical and mental health, and I know how important it is to Wisconsinites to get outside and enjoy Wisconsin's natural resources and spring weather," Evers said in a statement released Tuesday morning. "With a few adjustments, like closing one day a week for maintenance and reduced hours of operation, folks should be able to get outside and enjoy our parks safely and respectfully."

Read more about the parks openings here: 34 Wisconsin State Parks To Reopen May 1 Amid Coronavirus

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Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases: By The Numbers

The following data was provided by the Wisconsin Hospital Association via their COVID-19 Situational Awareness Dashboard. All results are current as of 3:30 p.m. on April 30.

Cases

6,854 Total Cases
334 Increase Over Last 24 Hours

Deaths

316 Total Deaths
8 Increase Over Last 24 Hours

Hospital Admissions

359 Total COVID-19 Patients

119 Patients With Pending Tests

224 Intensive Care Unit Patients

Bed Count

Intensive Care Unit

1,439 Total
434 Available

Intermediate Care

830 Total
256 Available

Medical Surgical

7,377 Total
1,999 Available

Negative Flow Isolation Beds

1,997 Total
1,181 Available

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This article originally appeared on the Whitefish Bay Patch