MADISON, WIS (WMTV) – The total number of COVID-19 variants in Wisconsin on Thursday more than tripled since the last time the Department of Health Services updated their data.
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk announced that there were 19 total cases of the British variant in the state during a news conference on Thursday. The DHS COVID-19 dashboard was last updated on February 25 and said there were only six cases. The British variant can spread faster than the common strain of COVID-19.
“We must each do everything in our power to stop the spread,” said Willems Van Dijk. “For those who are eligible, you need to get your vaccine, and for all those who are still waiting, we need to continue to do what we know.” Willems Van Dijk was washing your hands, wearing a mask and staying home to distribute COVID-19.
Willems Van Dijk also noted that everyone in Wisconsin can be eligible by the end of May and every resident will be vaccinated for a while thereafter, possibly until early July.
The number of patients who have completed their vaccination series also approaches the total number of COVID-19 cases ever reported in Wisconsin. There are currently 548,343 people who have been fully vaccinated, while 565,808 people have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
Nearly 17% of Wisconsin residents received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 9.4% of residents completed their vaccination series.
Green and Sauk County both joined the 20% club this week for people who received at least one dose of the vaccine. Other provinces in south-central Wisconsin that have exceeded the 20% threshold are Richland, Iowa and Lafayette. In northern Wisconsin, Menominee County stands at 30% for its 4,556 residents who have at least one dose of the vaccine.
The department also notes that 20.5% of women in Wisconsin have officially received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 13.2% of men have received at least one dose.
Daily COVID-19 cases still fall below 1,000
Daily new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin have been reported in less than 1,000 consecutive weeks over the past three weeks.
According to DHS’s COVID-19 dashboard, 677 cases were confirmed positive on Thursday. The seven-day moving average continued to decline for the fourth consecutive day, currently sitting at 522 cases.
The number of Wisconsin patients in the ICU dropped to below 70 on Thursday, with 69 patients in state-intensive care units.
51 patients were added to the number of Wisconsinites admitted to hospitals with the coronavirus, out of a total of 267 patients. Compared to last week, there are 88 fewer patients in the hospital this week.
The total number of Wisconsinites who died from COVID-19 reached 6,470, of which 12 had just been reported Thursday.
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