Low coronavirus case numbers continue, state reports one new death Sunday

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – The State of Wisconsin is continuing to report low new coronavirus case numbers two weeks into the month of February.

Department of Health Services (DHS) officials report out of Sunday’s 4,186 new results for people being tested or testing positive for the coronavirus for the first time, 503 tested positive for the virus, the lowest amount of new cases reported in a single day since early September. Sunday’s positive tests made up 12.02% of all results.

New cases were reported in 56 out of the state’s 72 counties.

During the past 14 days, the state reported fewer than 1,000 new cases on nine days.

The 7-day case average fell to 782, which is the lowest 7-day average since early September. The DHS is emphasizing the positivity rate for all tests -- that is, including people who’ve been tested multiple times, such as health care workers and recovering COVID-19 patients-- and by that measure, the 7-day average positivity rate has fallen to 3.2% as of Saturday, the latest data available.

The state added one new death to the cumulative COVID-19′s death toll Sunday, which now stands at 6,162. Health officials say the death happened in Clark County.

The seven-day death average has now fallen to 15, and has been below 20 since Friday. Before then, that figure hadn’t been below 20 since October.

Since the first coronavirus patient in Wisconsin on February 5, 2020, 555,303 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus:

• 96.9% (537,955) recovered
• 2.0% (11,027) are active cases, diagnosed or showing symptoms within the past 30 days
• 1.11% (6,162) died

DHS members say another 25,794 doses of the vaccine have been given throughout the state, bringing the total number of doses given to 965,999.

Meanwhile, health officials say another 7,264 people completed the vaccine series, bringing the statewide total of people having received both doses to 239,442. Health officials say that equals roughly 4.1% of the state’s population. CLICK HERE to track vaccine numbers in Wisconsin, as well as per county.

At this current pace, Wisconsin could reach 1 million “shots in the arm” of COVID-19 vaccines early next week, including first and second doses. These numbers may reflect shots given over the last 3 days as vaccinators’ reports continue coming in.

Action 2 News has put together a guide of vaccination clinics and health agencies distributing the COVID-19 vaccine to people age 65 and older. CLICK HERE for locations and phone numbers and websites to register.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The DHS further reports 34 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the past 24-hour period. That helped bring the 7-day average down to 59 new patients per day, the lowest that figure has been since September 25. A total of 25,302 people have ever been hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment in the last 53 weeks, or 4.6% of all cases.

Taking deaths and discharges into account, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) says as of Sunday, there are currently 399 COVID-19 patients among the state’s 134 hospitals, with 116 in intensive car. That’s 9 in ICU and 22 fewer COVID-19 patients in hospitals overall. There haven’t been fewer than 400 COVID-19 patients in Wisconsin hospitals since September 19.

Hospitalizations in the Fox Valley decreased Sunday. The 13 hospitals are treating 23 COVID-19 patients, three fewer than Saturday, with 7 in ICU, a figure that has held steady since Friday.

Meanwhile, in the Northeast region on Sunday, the WHA reports 10 hospitals in the 7-county region were treating 39 COVID-19 patients, five fewer than Saturday, with 12 of them in ICU, one fewer from Saturday.

HOSPITAL READINESS

In terms of hospital readiness, the WHA reports 319 intensive care unit beds in the state are unoccupied (21.75%), and 2,336 (20.9%) of all medical beds (ICU, intermediate care, medical surgical and negative flow isolation) are open.

The Fox Valley region’s 13 hospitals reported 12 open ICU beds (11.53%) among them, and a total 116 unoccupied medical beds (13.59%) for the eight counties they serve. There are no intermediate care beds available.

Northeast region hospitals had 34 ICU beds (16.42%) open and 236 of all medical beds (24.68%) unoccupied.

These beds are for all patients, not just COVID-19. We use the terms “open” or “unoccupied” instead of “available” because whether a bed can be filled depends on hospitals having the staff for a patient in that bed, including doctors, nurses and food services.

SUNDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (Counties with new cases or deaths are indicated in bold) *

Wisconsin

• Adams – 1,548 cases (+5) (11 deaths)
• Ashland – 1,168 cases (16 deaths)
• Barron – 5,245 cases (+9) (74 deaths)
• Bayfield - 1,062 cases (+3) (18 deaths)
• Brown – 29,888 cases (+10) (202 deaths)
• Buffalo – 1,306 cases (+2) (7 deaths)
• Burnett – 1,158 cases (+10) (23 deaths)
• Calumet – 5,397 cases (+7) (41 deaths)
• Chippewa – 6,971 cases (+10) (88 deaths)
• Clark – 3,141 cases (+2) (57 deaths) (+1)
• Columbia – 4,954 cases (+4) (50 deaths)
• Crawford – 1,657 cases (+2) (17 deaths)
• Dane – 39,270 (+58) (264 deaths)
• Dodge – 11,311 cases (+1) (154 deaths)
• Door – 2,391 cases (+1) (19 deaths)
• Douglas – 3,638 cases (+5) (23 deaths)
• Dunn – 4,188 cases (+12) (26 deaths)
• Eau Claire – 10,856 cases (+19) (104 deaths)
• Florence - 431 cases (12 deaths)
• Fond du Lac – 11,795 cases (+1) (88 deaths)
• Forest - 918 cases (23 deaths)
• Grant – 4,600 cases (+7) (79 deaths)
• Green – 2,971 cases (+7) (16 deaths)
• Green Lake - 1,516 cases (+1) (18 deaths)
• Iowa - 1,830 cases (9 deaths)
• Iron - 515 cases (19 deaths)
• Jackson - 2,571 cases (23 deaths)
• Jefferson – 7,765 cases (+8) (75 deaths)
• Juneau - 2,959 cases (+4) (19 deaths)
• Kenosha – 14,607 cases (+17) (288 deaths)
• Kewaunee – 2,400 cases (+1) (27 deaths)
• La Crosse – 12,027 cases (+15) (75 deaths)
• Lafayette - 1,414 cases (+7) (7 deaths)
• Langlade - 1,918 cases (31 deaths)
• Lincoln – 2,868 cases (+1) (56 deaths)
• Manitowoc – 7,149 cases (+9) (61 deaths)
• Marathon – 13,497 cases (+13) (171 deaths)
• Marinette - 3,953 cases (+2) (61 deaths)
• Marquette – 1,294 cases (21 deaths)
• Menominee - 792 cases (11 deaths)
• Milwaukee – 97,006 (+88) (1,188 deaths)
• Monroe – 4,215 cases (+3) (30 deaths)
• Oconto – 4,218 cases (47 deaths)
• Oneida - 3,305 cases (+4) (64 deaths)
• Outagamie – 18,914 cases (+18) (186 deaths)
• Ozaukee – 7,529 cases (+10) (73 deaths)
• Pepin – 797 cases (7 deaths)
• Pierce – 3,413 cases (+3) (33 deaths)
• Polk – 3,771 cases (+12) (43 deaths)
• Portage – 6,358 cases (+7) (63 deaths)
• Price – 1,130 cases (7 deaths)
• Racine – 20,131 cases (+9) (314 deaths)
• Richland - 1,259 cases (+2) (13 deaths)
• Rock – 14,171 cases (+31) (150 deaths)
• Rusk - 1,240 cases (16 deaths)
• Sauk – 5,177 cases (+4) (37 deaths)
• Sawyer - 1,463 cases (+2) (20 deaths)
• Shawano – 4,551 cases (70 deaths)
• Sheboygan – 12,653 cases (+3) (125 deaths)
• St. Croix – 6,257 cases (+6) (42 deaths)
• Taylor - 1,784 cases (20 deaths)
• Trempealeau – 3,358 cases (+4) (36 deaths)
• Vernon – 1,793 cases (36 deaths)
• Vilas - 2,062 cases (+4) (36 deaths)
• Walworth – 8,737 cases (+3) (124 deaths)
• Washburn – 1,270 cases (+1) (18 deaths)
• Washington – 13,581 cases (+7) (127 deaths)
• Waukesha – 39,993 cases (+15) (466 deaths)
• Waupaca – 4,715 cases (+2) (110 deaths)
• Waushara – 2,086 cases (+2) (28 deaths)
• Winnebago – 16,811 cases (+8) (177 deaths)
• Wood – 6,616 cases (+2) (72 deaths)

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula **

• Alger - 275 cases (1 death)
• Baraga - 499 cases (31 deaths)
• Chippewa - 707 cases (20 deaths)
• Delta – 2,631 cases (65 deaths)
• Dickinson - 2,118 cases (55 deaths)
• Gogebic - 897 cases (18 deaths)
• Houghton – 2,035 cases (32 deaths)
• Iron – 863 cases (39 deaths)
• Keweenaw – 110 cases (1 death)
• Luce – 132 cases
• Mackinac - 279 cases (3 deaths)
• Marquette - 3,437 cases (54 deaths)
• Menominee - 1,606 cases (35 deaths)
• Ontonagon – 353 cases (18 deaths)
• Schoolcraft - 229 cases (4 deaths)

* Cases and deaths are from the daily DHS COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The 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.

The DHS reports deaths attributed to COVID-19 or in which COVID-19 contributed to their death. Most of the people severely affected by the coronavirus have underlying illnesses or conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity, which raises a person’s risk of dying from COVID-19. They would’ve lived longer if not for their infection. The state may revise case and death numbers after further review, such as the victim’s residence, duplicated records, or a correction in lab results. Details can be found on the DHS website and Frequently Asked Questions.

**The state of Michigan does not update numbers on Sundays. Monday’s numbers include updates since Saturday’s reporting deadline.

COVID-19 Tracing App

Wisconsin’s COVID-19 tracing app, “Wisconsin Exposure Notification,” is available for iOS and Android smartphones. No download is required for iPhones. The Android app is available on Google Play. When two phones with the app (and presumably their owners) are close enough, for long enough, they’ll anonymously share a random string of numbers via Bluetooth. If someone tests positive for the coronavirus, they’ll receive a code to type into the app. If your phones “pinged” each other in the last 14 days, you’ll receive a push notification that you are at risk of exposure. The app doesn’t collect personal information or location information, so you won’t know from whom or where, but you will be told what day the exposure might have occurred so that you can quarantine for the appropriate amount of time.

Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified these as possible symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Prevention

• The coronavirus is a new, or “novel,” virus. Nobody has a natural immunity to it.
• Children and teens seem to recover best from the virus. Older people and those with underlying health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease) are considered at high risk, according to the CDC. Precautions are also needed around people with developing or weakened immune systems.
• To help prevent the spread of the virus:
• Stay at least six feet away from other people
• Avoid close contact with people who are or appear sick
• Stay at home as much as possible
• Cancel events and avoid groups, gatherings, play dates and nonessential appointments

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