Daily COVID-19 case count hits highest point in nearly 3 months

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - New COVID-19 cases jumped Wednesday, tallying its highest total since early February, as reported positive tests sailed past the two-thousand mark, according to the Dept. of Health Services latest update.

On Wednesday, the state agency recorded 2,360 confirmed, new COVID-19 cases. It last eclipsed that mark on Feb. 9, as case counts were still coming off of January’s Omicron surge. At that time, the seven-day rolling average for new cases was over 2,500 per day, nearly twice as high as the current rate of 1,389 cases per day over the previous week.

Conversely, the rolling average is more than three times higher than one month ago. With the latest totals, DHS officials have now counted 1,422,311 cases since the pandemic began.

New confirmed COVID-19 cases by date confirmed, and 7-day average, on May 4, 2022.(Dept. of Health Services)

Hospitalizations remain on the upswing in Wisconsin. DHS’ weekly update on hospitalizations and hospital capacity showing an increasing number of COVID-19 patients being admitted. It’s the second week in a row that number was considered growing after several months of decreasing or flat rates.

Like last week the trajectory of three of the state’s seven regions is growing. The Fox Valley been rising notably for both of those weeks, while the north-central and southeastern parts of the state moved into that category. Northwest and northeast Wisconsin leveled off and are now showing no significant change.

Nine COVID-19 related deaths were recorded to state officials on Wednesday, the highest figure in more than a month. Although that latest number did cause the seven-day rolling average, the average, which smooths day-to-day volatility, still remains at the low levels where it has stood since early April.