Officials: Latest COVID-19 surge hasn’t peaked in Wisconsin; Numbers Better in Kenosha

KENOSHA, WI (AP; WLIP NEWS)–Wisconsin health officials say the latest surge of COVID-19 infections due to the highly contagious delta variant has not yet peaked in the state. The seven-day average of new cases as of Tuesday was 2,857, nearly double what it was two weeks ago and at a level not seen since early January before the vaccine was widely available.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake says, “We are not at a plateau yet, we are not at a leveling off.” The 1,085 people hospitalized as of Tuesday was down slightly from the previous three days.

Locally Kenosha’s seven day average is at 76 cases. The numbers here are higher than they were during the middle of the summer but are still far off January’s pace when the seven day average was above 110. 80 new cases came in on Tuesday-the last available day for data.

There has been one Covid related death locally this month.

Hospitalizations remain mostly steady with 13 percent of the available hospital beds occupied with Covid patients-the seven day hospitalization average is at 45 covid patients.

Covid patients account for 28 percent of the ICU beds being used, just over half of ICU beds (53%) are in use overall. Timberlake says that vaccination remains the most effective way to mitigate the worst effects of the virus.

In Kenosha over 50 percent of the population has received at least one shot; 47 percent are fully vaccinated.