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MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) — A quarter million people in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus in nine months. More than 1 in 5 of those people are active cases right now.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports 5,922 positive tests in the latest batch of 15,440 results Thursday (9,518 tests were negative). It’s the second day in a row Wisconsin has more than 5,900 positive tests. Even though the state received about 800 fewer test results than Wednesday, they were just 14 positive tests shy of another record.

Thursday’s results bring the positivity rate up to 38.35% by our calculations, and the 7-day average crept back up to 31.87%. The 14-day average positivity rate is at an all-time high 30.49%. Experts want to see those averages at or below 5% to consider the virus getting under control.

The first COVID-19 patient was treated in Madison exactly nine months ago, on February 5, 2020. The second patient wasn’t identified until March 9. Over the past 7 days, Wisconsin is averaging nearly 5,000 new cases every day (4,990).

DEATHS

Wisconsin reports the toll is 2,194 COVID-19 deaths, 38 more since Wednesday’s report. The death rate held steady at 0.88% for a fourth day. The state is averaging 35 deaths a day over the past 7 days.

Deaths were reported in 26 counties: Ashland, Brown, Chippewa (2), Clark, Dodge, Fond du Lac (2), Grant (2), Jefferson, Kewaunee, La Crosse (3), Marathon (3), Milwaukee (3), Outagamie, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Rock, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix (2), Taylor, Trempealeau, Washington (2), Waukesha (2), Waupaca (2) and Winnebago. The death count was revised in Dane County.

Pepin remains the only county not to report a death from COVID-19.

County-by-county case numbers will be updated soon.

At the current rate, next week COVID-19 could pass Alzheimer’s disease as the 6th leading cause of death in Wisconsin based on CDC data. Wisconsin’s first two COVID-19 deaths were reported on March 19.

ACTIVE CASES

Because of a second day in a row of more than 5,900 coronavirus cases confirmed, the percentage of active cases went up again. Now, 21.7% of all coronavirus cases ever identified in the state were diagnosed in the last 30 days — since October 6 — and haven’t been medically cleared. That’s 54,326 people.

Another 193,369 people are past those 30 days and are considered recovered. That’s down again to 77.4% of cases.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

Wisconsin hospitals added another 223 COVID-19 patients in the past 24 hours. Since the coronavirus was confirmed in Wisconsin with that first patient nine months ago, 12,310 COVID-19 patients have had symptoms serious enough to require hospitalization. Percentage-wise, that’s down to 4.9% of all people in Wisconsin identified to have the coronavirus.

Updated figures Thursday show 1,774 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 27 more than Wednesday when deaths and hospital discharges are taken into account. 376 of these patients are in ICU, 16 more than Wednesday, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). These are the most COVID-19 patients hospitalized and the most in ICU at any given time since this pandemic began.

Thursday, there were 5 patients at the alternate care facility (ACF) field hospital at the Wisconsin State Fair Park near Milwaukee, one fewer than the day before.

HOSPITAL READINESS

The WHA reported Thursday afternoon that 118 of the state’s 1,469 ICU beds are open, or 8%. Overall, 11.4% of the state’s licensed medical beds are open. [Note: We’re using the term “open” instead of “available” after Prevea president/CEO Dr. Ashok Rai said in an Action 2 News This Morning interview an open bed may not have the ancillary staffing necessary — nurses, food services and more — to put a patient in it.]

Locally, 5 ICU beds are open in the Fox Valley, which has 13 hospitals serving 8 counties. That’s out of 104 total ICU beds. Overall, 6.2% of the region’s medical beds are open. The hospitals are treating 152 COVID-19 patients, two fewer than Wednesday, with 23 of them in ICU.

There are 11 ICU beds open in the Northeast region’s 10 hospitals, which serve 7 counties, out of 207 total ICU beds. Overall, 14.4% of those hospitals’ beds are open, counting ICU, medical surgical, intermediate care and negative flow isolation beds.

The WHA further reported Thursday that 27 of the state’s 134 hospitals have less than a week’s supply of gowns and 13 have less than a week’s supply of paper medical masks.

NEW COMMUNITY TEST SITES

71 new community test sites opened last week for testing through December 10. Fifty-six counties and 7 tribal nations will have regular testing sites. Anyone who lives or works in Wisconsin can get tested. Although you can register at the test site, you’re encouraged to register ahead of time at the COVID Connect web site. Each site will be staffed by Wisconsin National Guard members and local site managers.

CLICK HERE for the list of testing sites by county

THURSDAY’S COUNTY NUMBERS (Counties with new cases or deaths are indicated in bold)*

Wisconsin

• Adams – 670 cases (+7) (6 deaths)
• Ashland – 350 cases (+12) (4 deaths) (+1)
• Barron – 1,586 cases (+92) (8 deaths)
• Bayfield – 342 cases (+7) (2 deaths)
• Brown – 17,257 cases (+291) (105 deaths) (+1)
• Buffalo – 387 cases (+14) (3 deaths)
• Burnett – 373 cases (+14) (6 deaths)
• Calumet – 3,047 cases (+50) (18 deaths)
• Chippewa – 2,434 cases (+174) (26 deaths) (+2)
• Clark –1,155 cases (+48) (20 deaths) (+1)
• Columbia – 2,081 cases (+36) (7 deaths)
• Crawford – 450 cases (+21) (1 death)
• Dane – 17,295 cases (+332) (50 deaths) (deaths revised -1 by state)
• Dodge – 5,325 cases (+194) (37 deaths) (+1)
• Door – 1,057 cases (+21) (9 deaths)
• Douglas – 947 cases (+14) (1 death)
• Dunn – 1,439 cases (+53) (1 death)
• Eau Claire – 4,556 cases (+240) (28 deaths)
• Florence – 235 cases (+1) (8 deaths)
• Fond du Lac – 5,708 cases (+142) (25 deaths) (+2)
• Forest – 546 cases (+14) (11 deaths)
• Grant – 2,262 cases (+63) (40 deaths) (+2)
• Green – 1,127 cases (+32) (5 deaths)
• Green Lake – 866 cases (+12) (4 deaths)
• Iowa – 683 cases (+44) (2 deaths)
• Iron – 241 cases (+9) (5 deaths)
• Jackson – 746 cases (+26) (2 deaths)
• Jefferson – 3,334 cases (+88) (21 deaths) (+1)
• Juneau – 942 cases (+24) (5 deaths)
• Kenosha – 6,078 cases (+86) (94 deaths)
• Kewaunee – 1,253 cases (+13) (10 deaths) (+1)
• La Crosse – 5,035 cases (+125) (26 deaths) (+3)
• Lafayette – 636 case (+14) (1 death)
• Langlade – 1,143 cases (+12) (12 deaths)
• Lincoln – 1,117 cases (+36) (13 deaths)
• Manitowoc – 3,292 cases (+42) (18 deaths)
• Marathon – 6,105 cases (+173) (70 deaths) (+3)
• Marinette – 2,057 cases (+42) (18 deaths)
• Marquette – 767 cases (+10) (5 deaths)
• Menominee – 377 cases (+18) (1 death)
• Milwaukee – 46,805 (+899) (606 deaths) (+3)
• Monroe – 1,421 cases (+48) (8 deaths)
• Oconto – 2,400 cases (+23) (18 deaths)
• Oneida – 1,476 cases (+18) (14 deaths)
• Outagamie – 10,476 cases (+169) (84 deaths) (+1)
• Ozaukee – 2,877 cases (+67) (26 deaths) (+1)
• Pepin – 216 cases (+16)
• Pierce – 963 cases (+48) (7 deaths)
• Polk – 786 cases (+57) (3 deaths)
• Portage – 3,281 cases (+73) (23 deaths) (+1)
• Price – 450 cases (+15) (3 deaths)
• Racine – 8,979 cases (+243) (122 deaths) (+1)
• Richland – 550 cases (+8) (9 deaths)
• Rock – 6,091 cases (+114) (48 deaths) (+1)
• Rusk – 325 cases (+22) (1 death)
• Sauk – 2,227 cases (+68) (8 deaths)
• Sawyer – 463 cases (+17) (4 deaths)
• Shawano – 2,821 cases (+42) (37 deaths) (+1)
• Sheboygan – 5,757 cases (+77) (32 deaths) (+1)
• St. Croix – 2,383 cases (+48) (14 deaths) (+2)
• Taylor – 627 cases (+13) (8 deaths) (+1)
• Trempealeau – 1,277 cases (+41) (6 deaths) (+1)
• Vernon – 607 cases (+24) (2 deaths)
• Vilas – 744 cases (+22) (7 deaths)
• Walworth – 3,830 cases (+113) (39 deaths)
• Washburn – 304 cases (+12) (2 deaths)
• Washington – 5,456 cases (+173) (50 deaths) (+2)
• Waukesha – 14,675 cases (+438) (135 deaths) (+2)
• Waupaca – 2,779 cases (+53) (55 deaths) (+2)
• Waushara – 1,426 cases (+41) (5 deaths)
• Winnebago – 9,943 cases (+143) (75 deaths) (+1)
• Wood – 2,208 cases (+20) (15 deaths)

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula**

• Alger – 100 cases (1 death) (cases revised -2 by state)
• Baraga – 142 cases (+15) (4 deaths)
• Chippewa – 134 cases
• Delta – 1,451 cases (+84) (35 deaths) (+2)
• Dickinson – 860 cases (+12) (22 deaths) (+2)
• Gogebic – 365 cases (+8) (6 deaths)
• Houghton – 880 cases (+12) (8 deaths)
• Iron – 492 cases (+16) (24 deaths) (+1)
• Keweenaw – 23 cases (revised -1 by state) (1 death) (+1)
• Luce – 96 cases (cases revised -15 by state)
• Mackinac – 142 cases
• Marquette – 1,270 cases (+116) (18 deaths)
• Menominee – 791 cases (+33) (7 deaths)
• Ontonagon – 162 cases (+16) (1 death)
• Schoolcraft – 115 cases (+3)

* Viewers have asked us why the state has different numbers than what’s reported on some county health department websites. The 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.

The DHS reports deaths attributed to COVID-19 or in which COVID-19 contributed to their death. Most of the people severely affected by the coronavirus have underlying illnesses or conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity, which raises a person’s risk of dying from COVID-19 but would’ve lived longer if not for their infection. The state may revise case and death numbers after further review, such as the victim’s residence, duplicated records, or a correction in lab results. Details can be found on the DHS website and Frequently Asked Questions.

**The state of Michigan does not update numbers on Sundays.

Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified these as possible symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Repeated shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Prevention

• The coronavirus is a new, or “novel,” virus. Nobody has a natural immunity to it. Children and teens seem to recover best from the virus. Older people and those with underlying health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease) are considered at high risk, according to the CDC. Precautions are also needed around people with developing or weakened immune systems.
• To help prevent the spread of the virus:
• Stay at least six feet away from other people
• Avoid close contact with people who are or appear sick
• Stay at home as much as possible
• Cancel events and avoid groups, gatherings, play dates and nonessential appointments
• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care
• Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Cover your mouth and nose with a mask. At a minimum, use a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

Health experts say face masks are still the most effective way the general public can slow the spread of the coronavirus, but only if the masks are worn appropriately — over the nose and chin. County and state health officials are reminding and urging people to stay home when they feel sick, avoid large gatherings, and distance yourself six feet from people who aren’t from your household.

To help people understand how their decisions affect their own health and others, the Department of Health Services has a decision tool at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/decision.htm. The tool describes how choices matter and offers suggestions to make activities safer.

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