Wisconsin recorded the highest number of deaths caused by COVID-19, hospitalizations and daily cases on Monday, as the state continues to be a hot spot for the virus in the weeks leading to the Nov. 3 election.
The Department of Health Services reported64 deaths due to complications caused by the coronavirus, by far the highest single-day total since the pandemic began. That's 16 more deaths than the previous record of 48 deaths recorded last Wednesday.
Tuesday's numbers also raise the seven-day daily average number of deaths to 31.
Wisconsin has also broken its record of the highest number of COVID-19 cases tallied on a single day.
DHS reported 5,262 coronavirus cases Tuesday, by far the highest number of cases recorded on a single day in Wisconsin since the pandemic began. That's over 600 more cases than the previous record of 4,591 cases last Tuesday, and almost double the number of cases recorded on Monday.
The seven-day average number of confirmed cases also jumped after dipping the day before, to 3,975. That is the highest seven-day average only to last Saturday, when 4,050 was recorded.
Wisconsin further recorded the highest number of hospitalizations tallied on a single day, at 220, on Tuesday.
The percent positivity also continued to rise Tuesday. The DHS reports a seven-day percent positive (by person) of 25.7 percent, and a seven-day percent positive (by test) at 12.9 percent - both records.
Today's #COVID19_WI update shows new highs in reported deaths and hospitalizations. Please take steps to avoid illness and protect your community. Stay home if you can, stay 6' from others, #MaskUpWisconsin, and wash your hands often. #YouStopTheSpread: https://t.co/azIna3TqRR pic.twitter.com/eTm56HQnXm
— WIDeptHealthServices (@DHSWI) October 27, 2020
The DHS has noted before that COVID-19 numbers released on the heels of a weekend are sometimes low because the processing of COVID-19 cases and deaths declines on Saturday and Sunday. The low numbers on Monday can sometimes lead to a jump in coronavirus numbers later in the week.
In a press conference, Dr. Ryan Westergaard, Chief Medical Officer for the DHS' Bureau of Communicable Diseases, called Tuesday's numbers a "nightmare," adding that there is good reason to expect that the pandemic will get worse in Wisconsin, before we start to see a decline in cases and deaths.