Wisconsin now has 1,407 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, according to state Department of Health Services and county health department data. A total of 22 people have now died in Wisconsin as a result of COVID19.
Dane County reports an increase of 22 cases to 214. Public Health Madison and Dane County reported its second fatality on Monday.
State Bureau of Communicable Diseases Chief Medical Officer Ryan Westegaard said Monday he remains optimistic that the crisis will peak in about two weeks, and Palm said she expects it’ll be about 10 more days before we see the effects of social distancing in daily case counts. But new projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation indicate cases will peak in late April and might overwhelm intensive care units.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said Monday the state is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to prepare field hospitals if necessary, but did not elaborate on where those might be necessary or when.
“Our goal is to do social distancing really well so we don’t overwhelm our hospitals,” Palm said, but “conversations are actively happening” to prepare for a “surge” in cases, including the possibilities of building field hospitals or converting other facilities to take on coronavirus patients.
Palm also said new partnerships with biotech and medical companies like Exact Sciences, Promega, UW Health and Marshfield Clinic will allow the state to double the number of tests that can be administered every day. This will also lead to an increase in the number of confirmed cases.
