COVID-19 hits new lows not seen since summer

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Never mind all the snow and the freezing temperatures, Monday’s Dept. of Health Services COVID-19 daily report definitely had a summertime feel. That is, the seven-day rolling-average for new, confirmed COVID-19 cases and the single day total reported Monday are both at their lowest point since last July.

The unabated decline in the seven-day rolling-average fell below another notable threshold Monday. The average, which smooths out the day-to-day volatility of single day numbers, has declined every day since mid-January when it was well over 10,000 cases per day, on average. On Monday, it fell to 476 cases per day, which is the first time since July 27 that it has been under the 500-mark.

A little earlier that month, on July 18, state health officials recorded 157 cases for the day. That’s the last time any one-day total was lower than the 218 cases reported this Monday, according to DHS statistics. Those latest cases push the all-time count to 1,384,788 cases since the pandemic began.

The rolling average for deaths per day, meanwhile, still sits near a six-month low. DHS puts that average at eight deaths per day, where it has sat for the past several days. The average has only been lower that that once, when it briefly dipped to seven per day last week, since early September. In all, state health officials have recorded 12,113 total deaths from COVID-19 or complications related to the virus.

In addition to cases and deaths declining, the number of people who were vaccinated declined as well. DHS reports Wisconsin residents received fewer than 24,000 doses. The only time the rate was lower was the first few days a vaccine was available, and both the supply and the people allowed to receive it was severely limited. The number of people who have gone for their booster shot or an additional dose is still climbing, though. By the end of the week, fully a third of Wisconsinites could be boosted.

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