After the percentage of coronavirus tests fell to five percent Thursday, it ticked back up to 6.8 percent Saturday as 531 new cases were identified.
The State Department of Health Services reported those 511 new cases from 2 pm Thursday to 2 pm Friday, which included Milwaukee County’s 2:30 pm update from Thursday. A much larger increase in Milwaukee County reported at 2:30 pm Saturday — 302 new cases — puts the 24-hour increase from 14,454 at 2:30 Friday to 14,985 at 2:30 Wednesday — a jump of 531 new confirmed cases.
Eleven fatalities were reported Saturday, bringing the state’s total death toll to 507.
The largest local increase in new cases today comes from Milwaukee County, with 302 new cases and 28 percent of tests coming back positive. The outbreak in Brown County seems to remain under control — 34 more cases were identified but eight percent of tests 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 2,177 in the county. That’s a rate of 861 cases per 100,000 residents — far higher than the second-highest rate, 671 in Racine County, which reported 13 percent positive tests and 42 new cases.
A hotspot in Kenosha County remains a concern after slowing for a few days. Today the county reported just 35 new cases but 47 percent of tests came back positive.
Dane County has kept its positive test rate below three percent, but has seen an increase of 97 cases in nine days — from 500 to 597 — largely due to outbreaks at assisted living facilities, county health officials said.
Hospitalizations have been on the rise over the past week, jumping to 416 yesterday but falling all the way down to 388 today currently hospitalized with coronavirus infection. Of those currently hospitalized, 128 require intensive care. Additionally, 223 people are hospitalized awaiting test results.
The rate of disparity in Latino populations continues to stand out — 31 percent of total cases are now Latino people, and 48 percent of today’s new cases. Latinos make up just seven percent of the state’s overall population.
Similarly, 19 percent of all cases are Black people, who also make up just under 30 percent of deaths. Black people make up just six percent of the state’s population.
DHS also reports that 58 percent of those confirmed to have been infected have recovered and 3.4 percent have died, leaving about 5,500 active, confirmed infections in the state.
