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Record breaking day for COVID-19 cases and deaths in Wisconsin

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Wisconsin’s coronavirus numbers set a pair of records on Tuesday. The 34 deaths reported in the previous 24 hours were the highest single day number of deaths ever for the state.

The total number of deaths here now stands at 1,508. The Department of Health Services reported 3,279 positive tests results, also a record.

There were 147 more COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals. Hospital space remains a critical concern, with just over 83 percent of all beds in use, by both COVID and non-COVID patients.

Wednesday marks the first day of operation, for the state’s coronavirus field hospital at State Fair Park in West Allis.

“This facility will treat COVID positive patients only. We will not transfer from other hospitals patients that are not COVID positive,” said Department of Health Services Secretary designee Andrea Palm.

Palm said the 530 bed facility will house “lower acuity” COVID patients who still require care but are closer to being released to return home. “The goal is to take pressure off local hospitals to treat the more severely ill COVID patients as well as their non-COVID patient load.”

Wisconsin’s surge in COVID cases is among the worst in the nation, and has strained the resources of hospitals in northeast and central Wisconsin. The State Fair Park hospital is ready to accept up to 50 patients on its first day, although it’s unclear how many will be transferred immediately.

Evers’ letter requests meeting with legislative leaders on coronavirus response

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Governor Tony Evers has sent a letter to Republican legislative leaders, requesting  a meeting to discuss the state’s COVID-19 response.

Evers’ letter states that he wants Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to join him for negotiations on future plans. The Democrat Evers says he welcomes feedback from Vos and Fitzgerald.

“I welcome the opportunity to meet with both of you to discuss our state response. Given it has been 180 days since the Legislature last passed a bill and that you have repeatedly-through costly litigation and your public comments-expressed opposition to nearly every action my administration has taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19, I am eager to ensure our meeting is productive.”

The governor’s letter, sent Monday, said now isn’t the time to weaken Wisconsin’s response to the virus. The number of positive test results for COVID-19 in Wisconsin has more than doubled in recent weeks.

As of Tuesday morning Vos and Fitzgerald had yet to respond to the letter.

State exceeds 900 hospitalized COVID-19 patients

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More than 900 coronavirus patients were hospitalized in Wisconsin on Monday.

According to the latest totals updated Sunday, 889 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, 235 of them in intensive care.

The state Department of Health Services on Monday reported 56 more people were admitted to hospitals, amid continued concerns over the strain the pandemic is placing on health care resources.

Including all patients, 83.1% of hospital beds are in use and 85.1% of ICU beds. DHS also reported 1,956 positive tests and 9 deaths.

Committee requires latest public health order to go through rule-making process

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The state legislature’s Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative rules has ordered the Evers’ administration to go through the formal rule-making process, to implement the governor’s order limiting the size of indoor gatherings due to the coronavirus.

“We have no emergency rule. We’d love to have an emergency rule, that we could have a public hearing on, but we don’t have one,” Committee co-chair, Representative Joan Balweg (R-Markesan) said Monday “And actually that’s why the department has declined to call in or appear at this meeting, because there is no emergency rule to discuss.”

The committee voted 6-4 to require the Department of Health Services to present an emergency rule within 30 days. There were some heated comments made by committee members, prior to that vote.

Representative Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie), leveled a charge at Republicans who have not taken any action during the pandemic.

“So no action tells me that the way it’s going is the way you want it to go,” Hebl said “You’re in control of the legislature. The legislature makes the law. And if you’re not willing to do that, then you have blood on your hands, these people are going to die because of your inaction.”

“We can come together, and use the emergency rule process, to provide a more comprehensive discussion regarding our response,” Ballweg said.

The latest order, which limits gatherings in public spaces to 25% of capacity, expires November 6th. If the Evers’ administration chooses to extend it, the committee could block that.

Judge rules against conservatives in health order lawsuit

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A St. Croix County judge has ruled against a conservative law firm who tried to challenge Governor Evers’ powers to issue emergency orders. 

Judge Michael Waterman has denied a request to halt Governor Evers’ public health emergency order.

The Wisconsin Institute for law and Liberty, backed up by legislative Republicans, said that Governor Evers did not have the power to issue more than one 60 day order in a row for the same crisis. Attorneys for the Governor’s office said new orders can be issued if the public health emergency is still ongoing.

Judge Waterman agreed with the Governor’s office, and said that the 60 day time limit was a sufficient check, because the Governor has to explain in each order why the state of emergency still exists. He says that the legislature can end the state of emergency at any time, but so far, it has declined to do so. 

Judge Waterman’s ruling has an effect of keeping both the mask mandate and the newly issued occupancy mandate in effect.

Governor Evers is calling the move a victory for the people of Wisconsin. “As the number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin reached 150,000 yesterday, we will continue doing everything we can to prevent the spread of this virus. We ask Wisconsinites to please stay home as much as possible, limit travel and going to public gatherings, and wear a mask whenever out and about.”

Attorney General Josh Kaul says the ruling was the right move. “Wisconsin currently faces one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, and the mask requirement is a critical protection against the ongoing danger that the coronavirus poses to Wisconsinites’ health. I encourage legislative Republicans to stop supporting this attack on the mask requirement and instead to work with Governor Evers to adopt statewide policies that will allow us to more effectively to fight the virus and keep Wisconsinites safe.”

A number of legislative Republicans have stated that if the lawsuit against the Governor failed, that they would move to take action in the Legislature. So far today, no announcements on public hearings or votes in the full legislature have been scheduled. The Legislature’s joint rules committee is set to take a vote today on the order, but they cannot change the ruling themselves without action from the full legislature or a court order.

Wisconsin COVID-19 cases top 150,000

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Wisconsin’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has now exceeded 150,000 since the start of the pandemic.

The Department of Health Services on Sunday confirmed 2,676 new coronavirus cases out of just over 10,000 tests. Just under 29,000 are considered active, about 900 more than the previous day.

Seven more deaths were reported, bringing Wisconsin’s death toll to 1,465. The seven-day average of deaths is now 12.57.

The seven-day rate of positive tests by person rose to 18.6 percent, the highest rate yet. The positive rate by test 9.8 percent means 9.8 percent of the tests given in the past seven days were positive, while 18.6 percent of the people tested were positive.

Wisconsin exceeds 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and 800 hospitalizations for first time izations

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Wisconsin topped 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and 800 hospitalized coronavirus patients for the first time on Thursday.

The state Department of Health Services reported 3,132 new positive tests. One hundred ten more hospitalizations bring the number of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients to 873, including 219 in intensive care.

DHS Secretary designee Andrea Palm issued a warning on Wednesday. “It means our state is in a dangerous place,” Palm said. “We are overwhelming our healthcare system.”

Hospitals are using 83.1 percent of available beds, 85.1 of intensive care beds, percentages that are even higher in some regions.

Nine additional deaths bring Wisconsin’s toll from the global pandemic to 1,424. That’s one percent of positive cases.

Republican leaders want rulemaking hearing on latest public health order

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Republican legislative leaders say they’ll bring in the Department of Health Services to a rulemaking hearing, over the the agency’s latest public health order.

On Wednesday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and state Senator Steve Nass said that the new order restricting how many people can be inside of businesses was unenforceable without legislative approval. Vos’ office issued a statement:

“With respect to Emergency Order #3, the governor and secretary-designee may have good intentions but they’re disregarding the law as set forth in the state Supreme Court ruling, Legislature v. Palm. We are confident that if challenged, a Wisconsin judge would find this order invalid as an unpromulgated rule. We are asking Secretary-Designee Palm to submit an emergency rule immediately to the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules as required by law.” 

Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald addressed the issue, in a letter to DHS Secretary designee Andrea Palm.

Nass co-chairs the the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, which would convene the hearing.

“On their 175th day of inaction, Republicans chose to send a letter. That says everything Wisconsinites need to know about Republicans’ priorities during this pandemic,” Governor Tony Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback said.

Evers’ office has said that the new health order is consistent with guidelines laid out in the State Supreme Court decision that stuck down the Safer At Home order earlier this year.

State Fair Park COVID-19 alternate care facility will open

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At the request of Wisconsin hospital groups, a field hospital in Milwaukee will be open next week for COVID-19 patients.

Deb Standridge is CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Park Alternate Care Facility. “So a patient would be transferred from, potentially, a Fox Valley hospital down to the alternate care facility. Patients there would be relatively healthy, be able to ambulate on their own or have the assistance of one person. And they would need more oxygen therapy.”

Standbridge took part in a media briefing on Wednesday with Governor Tony Evers and other administration officials. “I think the easiest way to understand the alternate care facility is exactly what it says: it’s an alternative to a hospital setting.”

Standridge said patients will be ambulatory, but may require oxygen and other treatments. “They may need IV medications or additional medications, to ensure that they are healthy enough to be discharged home.”

Department of Health Services Secretary designee Andrea Palm said a second facility, at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center, isn’t as far along.

“It will require considerably more time to stand up, should that be necessary. So just to set expectations . . . it is not flip switch ready like the one in Milwaukee is,” Palm explained.

The Wisconsin State Fair Park Alternate Care Facility will be available to accept patients by next Wednesday, October 14, which will allow hospitals to focus on the most acutely ill patients.

Tuesday COVID-19 numbers: over 850 now hospitalized

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For the first time ever, there are over 850 hospitalized COVID-10 patients in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

There were 853 hospitalized, 71 more than Monday and 207 more than a week ago, and 261 patients in intensive care. Wisconsin hospitals are using 80 percent of available beds.

The Department of Health Services reported 18 additional deaths to bring the statewide death toll to 1,399 and the seven-day average of deaths to just over 14 – the highest ever.

DHS confirmed 2,020 new coronavirus cases. with just over 24,500 cases considered active. The rate of those considered “recovered” is at 81 percent.