Wisconsin Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 103

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin health officials say the state's coronavirus-related death toll eclipsed the 100-mark on Wednesday for the first time. The state has now seen 103 deaths from the virus, and a total of 2,756 confirmed cases of COVID-19. State officials say the effect of Tuesday's election, in which thousands of people went to the polls, will be seen in the coming weeks, if not days.

State officials said of those confirmed cases, 790 of them, roughly 29 percent, require hospitalizations. The state has seen 30,115 negative test results.

Milwaukee, Dane and Waukesha Counties have been hit the hardest. Milwaukee County has seen a total of 1,417 confirmed cases and 54 deaths as of Wednesday afternoon.

Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters. Don't miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions.

Dane County has seen 302 cases and 11 deaths. Waukesha County, the state's third-most-populous county, has seen 174 cases and five deaths.

April 7 Election Sparks Fear That Coronavirus Will Spread

Amid the coronavirus public health emergency, thousands of voters in Wisconsin took to the polls Tuesday to vote in the state's presidential primary and statewide general election. Voters in Milwaukee waited in long lines to cast their ballots while also facing the challenge of maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from others.

"You've taken this group of people and forced them to make a choice between their health and their vote," Oak Creek City Clerk Catherine Roeske told Patch.

For municipal clerks across Wisconsin, election day was an exercise in compassion, efficiency and compliance. As people filed into the few voting centers that were open, volunteers and voters alike risked exposing themselves to the new coronavirus.

Jen Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, called the decision to continue on with Election Day “a serious unforced error” and “very unwise” in a VOX report.

National Guard members were deployed in plain clothes across the state, directing people into the correct lines and helping them navigate an unfamiliar voting center as the state shrank the number of polling places due to a critical shortage of poll workers.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who issued a "safer at home" public order restricting public movement, sparred with Republican opponents over when and how to hold the election amid the pandemic. After a state supreme court challenge, a federal court ruling and a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, the election was allowed to continue.

“Although I remain deeply concerned about the public health implications of voting in-person today, I am overwhelmed by the bravery, resilience, and heroism of those who are defending our democracy by showing up to vote, working the polls, and reporting on this election," Evers said as voters headed to the polls Tuesday. "Thank you for giving our state something to be proud of today. Please stay as safe as possible, Wisconsin.”

Related Reading

• Wisconsin Coronavirus Tracker
• 2020 Democratic National Convention Postponed
• National Guard To Be Called Out On Election Day Over Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Closures: Walmart, Woodman's, Target, Mayfair, More

• What's going on in Wisconsin? Find Out Here
• Want to submit an article? It's easy.