The seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin is increasing again, after falling for the first time in almost a week on Thursday. Wisconsin also recorded its second-highest number of daily deaths caused by the virus on Friday.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reporteda seven-day average of 3,470 on Friday, the highest recorded since the pandemic began. Every day since Oct. 17 - with the exception of a brief dip on Thursday - Wisconsin has tallied a higher average, day after day.
Forty-two new deaths caused by complications from coronavirus were recorded Friday, raising the death toll to 1,745 in Wisconsin since the pandemic began. That is the second-highest number of deaths on a given day in Wisconsin since the pandemic began. The highest daily death toll remains at 48, recorded last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the seven-day percent of positive cases (by tests by person) took a point-two-percent dive to 22.7 percent Friday, from an all-time high on Thursday.
At least 183 people were hospitalized, 4,378 tests came in as positive, and 11.9 percent of tests by day were recorded in Wisconsin Friday.
The 7-day average smooths out these bumps and shows that since early September the curve has increased dramatically. That shows #COVID19 is spreading rapidly in Wisconsin. It’s critical that all of us do what we can to #StopTheSpread. Info: https://t.co/eiHjbBTdXz 2/2 pic.twitter.com/6tw8k3BKmL
— WIDeptHealthServices (@DHSWI) October 23, 2020
Also on Friday, the DHS announced that a backlog of positive cases caused by last weekend's software update has been cleared. DHS commended the state's local health departments in counties and cities for the achievement.
But the department also issued a stern warning:
"The 7-day average smooths out these bumps and shows that since early September the curve has increased dramatically. That shows #COVID19 is spreading rapidly in Wisconsin," according to a daily social media post from DHS.