Wisconsin returns to pre-Omicron COVID-19 cases levels - which are still high

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The entire COVID-19 case spike attributed to the Omicron variant of the virus has all but been erased, as cases returned drop to the levels they were before Christmas when Dept. of Health Services counts began a sharp upward turn.

State health officials celebrated the downward turn in a tweet that offered a snapshot of the daily figures, saying “our numbers appear to be moving in the right direction.”

“Please – don’t let up on your efforts to #StopTheSpread. If you haven’t already – get a vaccine or booster, and continue to follow public health guidance,” the tweet continued.

However, despite cases returning to where they had been pre-Omicron, the state agency’s reports show they remain at extraordinarily high levels. DHS’ update Monday showed the seven-day rolling average sitting at 3,363 confirmed cases per day, just under the 3,496 cases per day reported on Dec. 25.

These past 12 weeks and a two month stretch in late 2020 have been the only times the seven-day rolling-average have been over 3,000 cases per day. As far as single day totals, Monday’s report showed 1,305 new confirmed cases reported in the past 24 hours, and approximately 5,300 cases reported over the weekend.

The seven-day rolling-average for deaths, which had been slipping since late January, fell to 17 reported deaths per day, the lowest point of the year. That average has bounced between 20-30 deaths per day since early December. In all 11,387 people have died from COVID-19 or complications related to the virus.

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