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Weekend COVID-19 numbers: no new deaths, positive test rate above 10 percent

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Sunday was a second straight day of no new COVID-19 deaths in Wisconsin.  However, the 10.4 percent positive tests was the second straight day of positive test rates above 10 percent. The Department of Health Services reported 522 of 4,996 new test results were positive.

Saturday saw 738 of 6,822 new test results come back positive. That was 10.8 percent and also broke the previous single day record for positive cases. DHS also reported 31 additional hospitalizations over the weekend.

Friday COVID-19 numbers: 5.7 percent positive as cases top 24,000

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The percentage of new positive COVID-19 tests in Wisconsin increased on Friday, as total tests decreased heading into the holiday weekend.

The Department of Health Services reported 579 of 10,186 new test results came back positive. That’s 5.7 percent and compares to 4.2 percent positive from more than 12,000 tests on Thursday.

As infections increase across Wisconsin, public health officials have urged people not to travel over the Fourth of July weekend. DHS also reported seven deaths and 36 additional hospitalizations on Friday.

The recovery rate remains at 79 percent, with the state now having had 24,043 positive cases.

Liberal group says Wisconsin billionaires have gotten richer during pandemic

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While many of us are taking a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of Wisconsin billionaires a doing quite well for themselves. Citizen Action of Wisconsin executive director Robert Kraig believes they’re benefiting from a tax cut included in the CARES Act.

“When people are literally having trouble figuring out how to get food on the table and rent, and unemployment benefits . . . are going to run out at the end of July, it’s just stunning to think that the one thing that does get done is to make these folks even richer,” Kraig told WCLO.

The liberal advocacy group is endorsing the new HEROS Act passed by the Democratic controlled House of Representatives, which would repeal the tax break from the CARES Act.

Citizen Action cites data compiled by Forbes, which shows 8 Wisconsin billionaires collectively saw their wealth increase by more than 14 billion dollars, or 36 percent, during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WCLO

Thursday COVID-19 numbers: 4.2% positive cases out of more than 12,000 tests

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Wisconsin’s rate of positive COVID-19 cases dropped to just over four percent Thursday.

The state Department of Health Services reported that 539 of the 12,339 tests processed over the previous 24 hours were positive. That 4.2 percent was the lowest rate of positive tests since June 25.

As the effort to test as many people as possible continues, the rolling seven day average of confirmed new cases has continued to increase. Wisconsin has seen a recent surge in cases with half of all positive cases coming within the past five weeks, according to DHS. Seven deaths from COVID-19 brought Wisconsin’s total death toll to 793.

Wisconsin residents are being urged by DHS to spend the Fourth of July weekend at home.

The Department of Health Services urges residents to also follow best public health practices, social distancing and wearing face masks when that’s not possible.

Wisconsin has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 cases – with nearly nearly twenty percent of all positive cases coming within the past two weeks.

According to DHS this is driven in part by an increase in infections among younger people, and contact tracing by some local health departments has revealed that many of these cases can traced back to bars.

Self-employed in Wisconsin experiencing delays in getting federal assistance

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Some self-employed or independent contractors in Wisconsin have been waiting up to four months for benefits under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance plan.

The PUA covers non-traditional workers not normally eligible for unemployment benefits.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development confirms that only about 10 percent of 70,000 applicants had received benefits.

According to DWD, it takes longer to determine eligibility and the amount of benefit the applicant should receive, a difficult process that can’t be streamlined.

Frostman credits additional hires for improvement in taking unemployment claims

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Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman says additional hiring has enabled the agency to more unemployment cases. “We’ve added a thousand either employees or contractors since the start of COVID-19 to go from 500 to about 1600, and that’s starting to pay off,” Frostman told WHBY. “When we first brought them on in late May, we were making and taking a total of about 2,000 calls a day.”

Frostman said DWD is now able to handle 12,000 cases a day, and that people should continue to file weekly claims, even if it can be frustrating. DWD has come under fire for lengthy delays in processing new unemployment claims, and not being able to handle the call volume in its offices.

WHBY

Wednesday COVID-19 numbers: 4.3% positive with more than 12,000 tests

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For the second day in a row, more than 12,000 COVID-19 tests were administered in Wisconsin.

And 4.3 percent, that’s 540 of 12,068 tests processed in the prior 24 hours, were positive. That’s 60 fewer confirmed cases from Tuesday.

The Department of Health Services also tracks a seven day rolling average of new cases, which continues to trend upwards, from 266 to 491 over the past two weeks.

DHS also reported 2 deaths and 36 new hospitalizations. The recovery rate for the more 22,000 positive cases in Wisconsin remains at 79 percent.

Madison dials back on reopening as Milwaukee relaxes restrictions

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Milwaukee  moved forward with reopening plans on Wednesday, while Madison dialed back.

With COVID-19 cases increasing, Madison and Dane County restricting some businesses.

Restrictions on public gatherings, restaurants and – a big driver of new cases among twenty-somethings – bars. “People don’t make responsible decisions when crowding into a bar or partying on a Saturday night.” Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway said.

“In just two weekends, the level of community spread has jumped from 24 percent to 37 percent, and the average age of those with coronavirus in Dane County has dropped to 23 years old.”

Bars can have no indoor seating. “We can’t in every bar at every point in time. We take complaints, we follow up and then if we can’t get compliance, we will be writing citations,” said Janel Heinrich with Madison & Dane County Public Health.

Bars and restaurants can do takeout service and outdoor seating with physical distancing. Indoor restaurant dining is reduced to 25 percent of capacity.

The new order takes effect at 8:00 AM tomorrow/Thursday and also includes restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, to 10 and 25 people respectively.

Milwaukee moved to Phase Four of its COVID-19 reopening plan on Wednesday.

The move comes as Wisconsin saw its largest increases in the coronavirus since May just the day before.

Restaurants can open up to 50 percent capacity. Most other businesses can open up to 75 percent.

On Tuesday, about 70 Milwaukee business owners petitioned city leaders to make masks mandatory.

Tuesday COVID-19 numbers: 4.7% positive and 601 new cases

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The state’s percentage of positive COVID-19 cases dropped on Tuesday. The Department of Health Services reported 12,180 new test results, of which 601 – or 4.7 percent – positive. That was also the largest single day total of new cases.

It follows 5.3 percent on Monday and 7.1 percent positive Sunday. However, the seven day rolling average of new cases, which is another measure reported by DHS, continues to rise. The average number of cases going from 266 to 475 over the past two weeks.

DHS also reported 7 deaths, for a total of 784 lives lost since the start of the pandemic. There were also 39 new hospitalizations. There have been more than 22,500 confirmed cases, and 79% of those have recovered.

 

Keep yourself safe from ticks this summer with The Tick App from UW-Madison

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A UW-Madison research team is working to help make it safer to be outside with a program to find and identify ticks.

It’s called The Tick App and researcher Bieneke Bron says they want to prevent the spread of tick borne illnesses like Lyme Disease. 

There are several features to help you figure out what steps you need to take to protect yourself. Bron says you can even get a tick forecast from your phone before you go out. 

“If you have your GPS location on it will find out in what county you are and it pulls from a database what activity level we expect for the deer ticks.”

You can also upload pictures of ticks you find and researchers will identify them for you. Bron reminds people that ticks are excellent at hiding inside of things like clothing and other debris.

It’s also important to make sure you check your pets for ticks after they come back inside. 

“After going outside or after running into leaf litter or out in the backyard if you have the time and opportunity.”

You should also keep a close eye on any bedding your pet uses in order to be sure ticks aren’t hiding in there either.

You can download the app for both Apple and Android at The Tick App.