Wisconsin sees post-holiday drop in COVID-19 cases, deaths
The state averaged about 2,000 new cases a day since Friday, bringing down the 7-day average
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – Although COVID-19 cases remain at numbers we haven’t seen since last January, deaths and hospitalizations aren’t following the same pace, indicating fewer people infected with the virus are experiencing serious symptoms.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports new COVID-19 virus cases fell over the Thanksgiving weekend. The 7-day average dropped from 2,749 on Friday to 2,622 on Monday. More than 870,000 people (870,249) in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Outagamie County passed a total 28,000 cases. Winnebago County topped 26,000.
The positivity rate -- the percentage of all tests that are positive -- remains high at 11.8%. Friday, the state reported the 7-day average of the positivity rate was 10.9% -- the first time it was below 11% in two weeks, we reported -- but after further reviewing the preliminary data, the DHS now says the positivity rate on Friday was 12.1%. That means the positivity rate has come down rather than jumping almost a full point. The positivity rate is comparable to what Wisconsin last saw 51 weeks ago.
Nine COVID-19 deaths were reported to the state since Friday, including 4 deaths reported since Sunday morning that happened in the past 30 days. No deaths were reported in WBAY’s viewing area. The DHS says the 7-day average is unchanged at 15 deaths per day. The death rate slipped from 1.04% to 1.03% of all cases.
Keep in mind that staffing and operations are affected by holidays in case you see a sharp rise in numbers this week as health officials and vaccinators ramp back up to normal operations.
The hospitalization rate also slipped from 5.30% to 5.29% of all cases. Wisconsin hospitals had 267 admissions for COVID-19 since Friday, or about 89 per day. By our calculations, the 7-day average is down to 124 people. However, there were fewer discharges over the weekend. The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA), taking discharges and deaths into account, reports there are 1,432 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized -- a net increase of 154 patients since the WHA’s last report before the holiday, with 391 in intensive care units, a gain of 54. The WHA hasn’t reported more than 1,400 COVID-19 patients at one time since December 16, 2020, and these are the most COVID-19 patients in ICU since December 2, 2020.
The WHA further reports the 10 hospitals in the Northeast health care region are treating 164 patients, with 49 in ICU. The 13 hospitals in the Fox Valley region have 112 patients, with 21 of them in intensive care.
VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations saw a holiday drop. The latest reports from vaccinators added fewer than 30,000 doses (29,145) since Friday’s report, or fewer than 10,000 a day. These include inoculations and boosters going into the arms of Wisconsinites and out-of-state residents. Vaccinators added 2,009 people to the count receiving their first dose since Friday.
To date, 3,428,881 Wisconsin residents received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or 58.9% of the state’s population, including 70.3% of adults.
Out of these numbers, 3,262,142 Wisconsinites, or 56.0% of the state’s population, completed their vaccine series. This includes 66.9% of adults. So, 7 out of 10 adults have been vaccinated against COVID and 2 out of 3 completed their vaccinations.
VACCINATIONS BY AGE GROUP (and change since last report)
- 12 to 15: 49.9% received vaccine (+0.1)/46.5% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 16 and 17: 54.0% received vaccine (+0.1)/50.8% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 18 to 24: 54.6% received vaccine (+0.1)/50.2% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 25 to 34: 59.4% received vaccine (+0.1)/55.3% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 35 to 44: 66.4% received vaccine (+0.1)/63.0% completed vaccinations (+0.1)
- 45 to 54: 67.1% received vaccine (+0.1)/64.2% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
- 55 to 64: 75.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/72.8% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
- 65 and up: 87.4% received vaccine (+0.0)/84.3% completed vaccinations (+0.0)
The DHS is not yet reporting vaccination numbers for 5- to 11-year-olds, who were approved for kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine on November 2.
VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (MONDAY)
| County (Population) (Health region) | % of population with at least 1 dose | % of population completed series |
|---|---|---|
| Brown (264,542) (NE) | 59.8% | 57.4% (+0.1) |
| Calumet (50,089) (FV) | 53.0% | 51.0% |
| Dodge (87,839) | 48.3% | 46.2% (+0.1) |
| Door (27,668) (NE) | 74.8% (+0.1) | 70.9% |
| Fond du Lac (103,403) (SE) | 51.6% | 49.3% (+0.1) |
| Forest (9,004) | 49.1% | 46.7% |
| Florence (4,295) (NE) | 49.0% | 46.9% |
| Green Lake (18,913) (FV) | 53.4% (+0.1) | 50.9% |
| Kewaunee (20,434) (NE) | 48.7% | 47.2% |
| Langlade (19,189) | 51.1% (+0.1) | 48.7% (+0.2) |
| Manitowoc (78,981) (NE) | 56.2% | 53.8% |
| Marinette (40,350) (NE) | 49.5% | 47.1% |
| Menominee (4,556) (FV) | 71.1% | 68.8% |
| Oconto (37,930) (NE) | 50.1% | 48.2% |
| Outagamie (187,885) (FV) | 59.1% (+0.1) | 56.6% |
| Shawano (40,899) (FV) | 44.6% (+0.1) | 42.8% |
| Sheboygan (115,340) (SE) | 57.7% (+0.1) | 55.0% |
| Waupaca (50,990) (FV) | 51.8% | 49.6% |
| Waushara (24,443) (FV) | 42.9% | 41.1% |
| Winnebago (171,907) (FV) | 57.1% | 54.6% (+0.1) |
| NORTHEAST REGION (474,200) (NE) | 274,398 (57.9%) (+0.1) | 262,928 (55.4%) |
| FOX VALLEY REGION (549,682) (FV) | 304,220 (55.3%) | 291,408 (53.0%) |
| WISCONSIN (5,822,434) | 3,428,881 (58.9%) | 3,262,142 (56.0%) |
COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICS
The community vaccination clinic inside Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is open from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. on select dates through December 15. The list of dates will be updated on the Outagamie County website. No appointment is necessary for this walk-in clinic, which is located near the food court and Scheel’s. There’s no cost and no ID required.
Bellin Health is offering “mix-and-match” COVID-19 vaccine boosters at its Ashwaubenon community vaccination site, the Green Bay Fastlane drive-thru testing site and all primary care clinics and FastCare locations. According to Bellin, it’s offering the mix-and-match option to eligible patients at all vaccination sites. Eligible Bellin patients and the general public may schedule a booster, initial or second COVID-19 vaccine dose through a MyBellinHealth account or by calling 920-445-7313.
COVID-19 TESTING SITES
The City of Appleton expanded its testing and vaccination clinics at the old Best Buy building, 2411 S. Kensington Dr. The site offers walk-in testing Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Walk-in vaccination clinics are on Thursdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Fridays from 7 A.M. to 12 P.M. Pre-registration isn’t required, but it’s encouraged to speed up the process.
Walk-in or drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at Sunnyview Expo Center weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., with the Wisconsin National Guard handling the testing. Registration is encouraged at www.winnebagopublichealth.org. Testing is recommended (and free) for anyone as young as 1 year old who’s been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19, which can include fever, chills, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle ache, or sudden loss of taste or smell. Results are usually back within 48 hours.
MONDAY’S COUNTY CASE AND DEATH TOTALS (increases in cases or deaths since the last report are in bold) **
Michigan’s data reflect the past 5 days, since Wednesday, Nov. 24, because it did not publish updates during the holiday weekend
- Brown – 44,303 cases (+166) (279 deaths)
- Calumet – 7,986 cases (+69) (62 deaths)
- Dickinson (Mich.)* - 3,363 cases (+24) (69 deaths)
- Dodge – 16,369 cases (+161) (210 deaths)
- Door – 3,857 cases (+3) (34 deaths)
- Florence - 572 cases (cases revised -1 by state) (14 deaths)
- Fond du Lac – 18,448 cases (+155) (160 deaths)
- Forest - 1,560 cases (+21) (29 deaths)
- Gogebic (Mich.)* - 1,676 cases (+46) (27 deaths)
- Green Lake - 2,727 cases (+10) (29 deaths)
- Iron (Mich.)* – 1,526 cases (+20) (53 deaths) (+1)
- Kewaunee – 3,237 cases (+16) (34 deaths)
- Langlade - 3,314 cases (+28) (43 deaths)
- Manitowoc – 11,328 cases (+41) (93 deaths)
- Marinette - 6,702 cases (+12) (73 deaths)
- Menominee (Mich.)* - 2,845 cases (+22) (49 deaths) (+2)
- Menominee – 986 cases (11 deaths)
- Oconto – 6,497 cases (+51) (66 deaths)
- Outagamie – 28,279 cases (+315) (256 deaths)
- Shawano – 6,587 cases (+1) (80 deaths)
- Sheboygan – 18,895 cases (+175) (176 deaths)
- Waupaca – 7,589 cases (+44) (145 deaths)
- Waushara – 3,290 cases (+2) (51 deaths)
- Winnebago – 26,006 5,712 cases (+15) (255 deaths)
* You can find cases and deaths for all 72 Wisconsin counties on the DHS County Data website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Wisconsin Hospital Association publishes 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.
Copyright 2021 WBAY. All rights reserved.
