Coronavirus Transmission High In 71 WI Counties: CDC

WISCONSIN — Seventy-one of Wisconsin's 72 counties have the highest possible COVID-19 transmission grade from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.

A county's COVID-19 transmission rate is classified as 'high' when it reaches a case rate of more than 100 per 100,000 residents.

At least 12,260 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed among Wisconsin residents over the past seven days, which is nearly 8 percent more than the previous week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said.

The state's COVID-19 surge continued on Wednesday, with 2,271 new cases confirmed in 24 hours. Some 1,000 Wisconsinites entered hospitals for COVID-19 treatment on Thursday, continuing the pressure on hospital workers across the state.

“Before, there was a lot more fear,” Jackie Rehberg, a nurse at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, told The Wisconsin State Journal. “This time it’s more frustrating. At times, it can feel really infuriating because there is a vaccine out there that can help prevent some of the severe illness that we’re seeing.”

Almost 89 percent of overall hospital beds in Wisconsin are in use, health services data said. Around 91 percent of Wisconsin's intensive care unit beds are in use.