The percentage of coronavirus tests that came back positive dropped for the fifth time in six days, from 8.14 percent to 6.95 percent, but not enough to meet the threshold to begin reopening the state’s economy. It went up yesterday after four consecutive days of declines.
Governor Tony Evers’ “Badger Bounce Back” plan requires a 14-day decline in that measure, along with other indicators, before more businesses are allowed to open and groups can begin to gather. Over the past 14 days, that measure has been declining but only slightly.
Wisconsin now has had a total of 9,992 cases, according to Department of Health Services and county public health data — an increase of 311.
Overall since the crisis began, 8.88 percent of all tests have come back positive. That’s slightly lower than it was yesterday, when it was 8.97 percent.
The largest increase in new cases today come from Milwaukee County, which increased by 94, and Brown County, with an increase of 57. More than 30 percent of tests in Brown County in the past 24 hours came back positive. An outbreak at a meat packing plant in Green Bay has significantly increased the number of positive cases in Brown County, which have now reached 1,834 in the county. That’s a rate of 706 cases per 100,000 residents — far higher than the second-highest rate, 403 in Milwaukee County.
The other hotspot county that’s shown no sign of cooling off is Racine County, which increased by 46 cases as 16 percent of tests came back positive.
The statewide death toll is now 398, with 14 more fatalities since Friday afternoon.
The number of people hospitalized declined slightly — 339 people are currently hospitalized, down from 348 yesterday, with 110 in intensive care. Additionally, 200 are hospitalized awaiting test results.
The rate of disparity in Latino populations continues to rise — 30 percent of total cases are now Latino people, and 30 percent of the new cases identified today. Latinos make up just seven percent of the state’s overall population.
Similarly, 21 percent of all cases are Black people, who also make up 30 percent of deaths. Black people make up just 6 percent of the state’s population.
Racial disparities also increased in Dane County, where Black people make up five percent of the population but 14 percent of coronavirus cases, and Latinos make up six percent of the population and 11 percent of coronavirus cases.
DHS also reports that 48 percent of those confirmed to have been infected have recovered and four percent have died.
