After holiday dip, Wisconsin COVID-19 cases find new level

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - New COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin may have found a new level. For the past week now, the seven-day rolling-average has remained in the neighborhood of 1,600 confirmed cases per day, the latest Department of Health Services data show.

Health officials rely on the rolling average to smooth out day-to-day volatility where the rises and falls have as much to do with what day of the week it is as how many people, on average, are getting sick. Prior to the week-long dip after the Fourth of July holiday that preceded the current steady figure, the case average stayed very close to the 1,400 level for more than two weeks.

On Tuesday, DHS reported 1,584 new, confirmed cases, which is just under the current 1,598 cases per day average. With the latest count, state health officials have tallied a total of 1,546,514 cases since the pandemic.

As case counts appear to find their levels, the rolling-average for deaths remains steadily in the low single digits. The latest report placed the number at two deaths per day. Since the beginning of April, that figure has rarely exceeded five per day.