Wisconsin passed the tragic milestone of 2,000 people dead from the coronavirus on Friday, as deaths and cases continue to spiral in one of the nation's COVID-19 hotspots.
The Department of Health Services reported 59 deaths on Friday, raising the death toll since the pandemic began in Wisconsin to 2,031.
#Wisconsin has reached another grim milestone in the #COVID19 pandemic with over 2,000 deaths reported today. Our hearts go out to the friends and families of those who have passed. #YouStopTheSpread. pic.twitter.com/1wetAM95dP
— WIDeptHealthServices (@DHSWI) October 31, 2020
Since Thursday, Oct. 22, Wisconsin has been averaging over 20 deaths per day.
DHS data shows that the majority of deaths occur in people aged between 80-89 years old (30 percent), followed by the 70-79 age group (25 percent) and over 90 years old (19 percent).
Most deaths are reported in an 'unknown' location, according to the DHS (40 percent). About 30 percent of deaths occur in long-term care facilities (30 percent) and 27 percent occur in what DHS describes as locations that are not group housing.
The weekly average number of new deaths began to skyrocket in late September, weeks after school districts that decided to have at least some in-person learning opened for the school year.
Before Friday, the highest daily death toll was recorded last Tuesday, at 64, followed by Thursday, at 51.