Home covid Positive test rate stays low as record 587 new cases reported

Positive test rate stays low as record 587 new cases reported

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After the percentage of coronavirus tests turning up positive results rose sharply to eight percent Wednesday, the daily rate fell back to five percent Thursday and stayed there Friday, as a single-day record of more than 9,900 test results were reported. Of those, 511 were positive.

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 Friday — 262 new cases, up from 75 Wednesday — puts the 24-hour increase from 13,967 at 2:30 Wednesday to 14,554 at 2:30 Wednesday — a jump of 587 new confirmed cases.

Nine fatalities were reported Friday, bringing the state’s total death toll to 496.

The largest local increase in new cases today come from Racine County, with 103 new cases and 13 percent of tests coming back positive. The outbreak in Brown County seems to remain under control — 27 more cases were identified but just less than four 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 848 cases per 100,000 residents — far higher than the second-highest rate, 649 in Racine County.

A hotspot in Kenosha County remains a concern after slowing for a few days. Today the county reported just 27 new cases but 13 percent of tests came back positive.

Dane County has kept its positive test rate below three percent, but has seen an increase of 87 cases in just over a week — from 500 to 587 — 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 currently hospitalized with coronavirus infection. Of those currently hospitalized, 134 require intensive care. Additionally, 185 people are hospitalized awaiting test results.

That’s the highest number of people hospitalized since April 15.

The rate of disparity in Latino populations continues to stand out — 31 percent of total cases are now Latino people, and 40 percent of today’s new cases. Latinos make up just seven percent of the state’s overall population.

Similarly, 20 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.