WI Hits 700K Total COVID-19 Cases, 95 Percent ICU Beds Full

WISCONSIN — Wisconsin broke 700,000 total COVID-19 cases since February 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Wednesday.

Positive COVID-19 cases in the state reached 710,145 Wednesday according to health services data. The seven day case average was 2,857.

"That's nearly double than where we were two weeks ago," health services secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said at a press briefing. "And it's a 123 percent higher than we were a month ago."

Only five percent of the state's intensive care unit beds are available, Timberlake said. Only five percent of surgical beds are available as well.

The delta variant is the culprit behind the lack of ICU beds, rise in cases and pressure on hospital staff, Timberlake said.

There is one ICU bed left in the North central and northwest part of the state, according to data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Four ICU beds remain in Northeast Wisconsin and five are left in Western Wisconsin.

The average confirmed virus deaths per day is 12, according to health services data. So far there have been 7,895 coronavirus deaths in Wisconsin.

Lack of masking requirements and low vaccination rates are also possible culprits for high case rates. The Mondovi School District in Buffalo County, which has no masking requirements, had to close its schools in early September over the COVID-19 case burden.

Buffalo County hasn't had a mask mandate since the statewide mandate was shot down in April. It became one of two counties with the highest coronavirus case burden in the state Sept. 16.

"We know our hospitals and our hospital systems across the state are feeling the strain of this increase in disease activity," Timberlake said.

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