Wisconsin counties with High COVID-19 levels jumps from 1 to 14

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The number of counties in Wisconsin experiencing high levels of COVID-19 community levels exploded in the past week, surging from just a single one last Friday to fourteen now. That latest figure nearly equals the of number counties that recorded high and medium activity last week combined (16).

The Department of Health Services released the new community activity map Friday morning. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, it classifies the counties based on their number of cases along with hospitalization rates.

Among the counties now colored the bright orange indicated high activity is Rock Co. Just seven days ago, it had been among the 56 counties that were experiencing Low levels, per DHS’ map. That number has been cut exactly in half and only 28 of the 72 Wisconsin counties shaded green.

Orange dominates the northern stretches of the state, with only La Crosse, Milwaukee, and Waukesha Co. joining Rock Co. in the High category among counties in the southern half of the state. Dane Co. remains at the Medium level where it has stayed throughout recent weeks, even as other parts of the state were turning green all around it.

DHS has not released its latest daily totals for new case numbers. However, after a notable dip around the Fourth of July holidays, Wisconsin has seen a significant uptick over the past week. On Thursday, the seven-day rolling-average sat at 1,576 cases per day over the preceding week, up more than 300 cases from the 1,216 average on July 5 and about 10% higher than the approximately 1,400 cases per day recorded throughout June.

On Thursday, DHS also revealed changes in hospitalization rates across the state. Three of the seven regions, the southeast, northeast, and western regions are all seeing significant growth. The western part of the state saw a 41% surge over the past week. Overall, Wisconsin saw a 13% rise in that time.