Wisconsin reports 285 more coronavirus cases Wednesday
State health officials reported 285 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, along with 10 deaths related to the virus.
Wisconsin labs processed 10,187 tests since Tuesday, putting the 285 new cases at about 2.8% of all tests run. It’s up from Tuesday’s record-low percentage of positive tests, 1.9%.
Of the 21,593 Wisconsinites who have tested positive for the coronavirus since it reached the state, 68% of those people have recovered, officials report, leaving 6,063 “active” cases — people who have been diagnosed in the last 30 days and patients who are still showing symptoms.
In Wisconsin, 671 people have died from the virus.
On Wednesday, the Wisconsin Hospital Association reported that 328 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19. An additional 190 patients were awaiting results of a coronavirus test.
The WHA also released new data Wednesday about ventilator usage throughout the pandemic. So far, the state’s hospitals reported a total of ventilated patients on its heaviest-use day, April 11, avoiding a shortage that officials initially feared would force doctors to ration ventilators if a surge of critically ill patients entered hospitals.
On Wednesday, 334 patients were on ventilators, about a fourth of all ventilators available in the state.
While Summerfest remains canceled, the festival’s home, Maier Festival Park on the Milwaukee lakefront, may still have some events this year — in its parking lots.
Frank Nicotera, general counsel and chief administrative officer for Summerfest’s parent company Milwaukee World Festival Inc., told the City of Milwaukee Board of Harbor Commissioners Wednesday that the festival organization is talking with outside parties about using its lots for events.