Wisconsin adds more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases Friday

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - Wisconsin added more than 5,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says the daily increase of new cases is 5,096. It’s an increase from Thursday when the state reported 4,870 new cases in one day.

Overall, the state has recorded 220,092 COVID-19 virus cases.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR RUNDOWN OF FRIDAY’S STATE AND COUNTY NUMBERS

Over seven days, the state is averaging 4,231 new cases per day. One month ago, the state was averaging 2,334 new cases a day. Two months ago it was 696 cases per day.

“In these two months, our seven-day average has increased by more than 500 percent,” says DHS secretary-designee Andrea Palm.

Forty-four percent of cases have been confirmed in past month. Sixty-six percent of cases were confirmed in the past two months.

Twenty-four COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours. The state has now recorded 1,972 coronavirus-related deaths.

On Thursday, the state reported 51 new deaths.

Wisconsin COVID-19 briefing, Oct. 30
#FirstAlert: Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials hold a briefing on #COVID19 in Wisconsin.
Posted by WBAY TV-2 on Friday, October 30, 2020

Palm says Wisconsin hospitals are treating more than 1,400 patients with COVID-19. “Our ICU beds continue to fill and our alternate care facility continues to work with hospital partners and accept new patients,” says Palm.

Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials held a news conference Friday morning to provide an update on the situation in Wisconsin.

Evers encouraged people to stay home on Halloween and not invite people over. “Go trick-or-treating virtually, host a costume party or scary movie night on Zoom, or visit a drive-through haunted house,” Evers recommended.

Brown County issued a COVID-19 Alert Friday asking for the community to take action to help stop the spread.

“With record high numbers of positive cases, hospitalizations and staffing shortages, there has never been a more critical time for the community to act now and help stop the spread. Public Health needs the support of the community, and that includes notifying close contacts to both quarantine and seek testing. This will help us protect our Brown County community, reduce the strain on our healthcare system partners, and save lives,” reads a statement from the county.

COVID-19 Alert: Community Action Vital to Ending the Massive Spread BROWN COUNTY, WI— Brown County Health and Human...
Posted by De Pere Health Department on Friday, October 30, 2020

The DHS reports deaths attributed to COVID-19 or in which COVID-19 contributed to their death. Most of the people severely affected by the coronavirus have underlying illnesses or conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity, which raises a person’s risk of dying from COVID-19 but would’ve lived longer if not for their infection. The state may revise case and death numbers after further review, such as the victim’s residence, duplicated records, or a correction in lab results. Details can be found on the DHS website and Frequently Asked Questions.

Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified these as possible symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever of 100.4 or higher
Cough
Shortness of breath
Chills
Repeated shaking with chills
Muscle pain
Headache
Sore throat
New loss of taste or smell

Prevention

The coronavirus is a new, or “novel,” virus. Nobody has a natural immunity to it. Children and teens seem to recover best from the virus. Older people and those with underlying health conditions (heart disease, diabetes, lung disease) are considered at high risk, according to the CDC. Precautions are also needed around people with developing or weakened immune systems.
To help prevent the spread of the virus:
Stay at least six feet away from other people
Avoid close contact with people who are or appear sick
Stay at home as much as possible
Cancel events and avoid groups, gatherings, play dates and nonessential appointments
Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care
Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
Cover your mouth and nose with a mask. At a minimum, use a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.

Health experts say face masks are still the most effective way the general public can slow the spread of the coronavirus, but only if the masks are worn appropriately -- over the nose and chin. County and state health officials are reminding and urging people to stay home when they feel sick, avoid large gatherings, and distance yourself six feet from people who aren’t from your household.

To help people understand how their decisions affect their own health and others, the Department of Health Services has a decision tool at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/decision.htm. The tool describes how choices matter and offers suggestions to make activities safer.