Wisconsin surpasses 8,000 deaths from COVID-19

MADISON, Wisconsin (WBAY) – More than 8,000 people have died in Wisconsin from the COVID-19 virus or COVID-related complications. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) on Friday brought the COVID-19 toll to 8,009. That’s 12 more deaths reported since Thursday; the state says 11 of them occurred in the past 30 days. The only county in our area that reported a death was Outagamie County. The state has averaged 15 deaths a day over the past week.

The state has also passed 730,000 confirmed cases (730,739) and 39,000 hospitalizations (39,067) since the start of the pandemic.

The first case of coronavirus in Wisconsin was identified on February 5, 2020. The first deaths from COVID-19 were reported on March 19, 2020. In less than 20 months:

• 1 in 8 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19;
• 67 out of 10,000 Wisconsinians have been hospitalized for treatment for COVID-19. More than 1 in 20 (5.35%) confirmed cases required hospitalization;
• 14 out of 10,000 people in Wisconsin have died from COVID-19. The death rate is greater than 1 in 100 confirmed cases (1.10%).

It has been 128 days since the state passed the 7,000 death mark. That’s more than the 111 days it took for the death toll to drop to 6,000. During COVID-19 outbreaks in late fall and winter, Wisconsin added 4,000 deaths in 97 days, before there were vaccines or when many people could not access a vaccine.

Health officials attribute the slowing rise in the number of deaths to vaccinations. As we have pointed out and repeated, the risk of dying from a breakthrough infection is only a tiny fraction of the risk to which an unvaccinated person is exposed. In August, a vaccinated person was 9 times less likely to occupy a hospital bed and 11 times less likely to die if infected. This last part is essential, because a person who has been vaccinated is also much less likely to get an infection with COVID-19. In August, 1.41% of the state’s unvaccinated – or not fully vaccinated – population tested positive for COVID-19, compared with 0.361% of the vaccinated population.

More than 3.3 million Wisconsinians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or 56.7% of Wisconsin’s population. Of these, more than 3.1 million completed their vaccine series with two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; that’s 53.8% of the state’s population. These percentages include children under 12 who are not yet eligible for a vaccine. Over 50% of all age groups over 16 have started the vaccination process, and over 50% of all age groups over 25 have been fully immunized.

Wisconsin residents receive COVID-19 vaccine, by age group (and change since last report)

• 12-15: 46.4% received the vaccine (+0.1) / 41.8% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
• 16-17: 51.7% received the vaccine (+0.0) / 47.7% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
• 18-24: 51.6% received the vaccine (+0.0) / 46.9% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
• 25-34: 56.0% received the vaccine (+0.0) / 51.6% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
• 35-44: 63.6% received the vaccine (+0.1) / 59.6% fully vaccinated (+0.1)
• 45-54: 64.8% received the vaccine (+0.0) / 61.4% were fully vaccinated (+0.0)
• 55-64: 73.6% received the vaccine (+0.1) / 70.8% fully vaccinated (+0.0)
• 65 years and over: 85.6% received the vaccine (+0.1) / 83.5% fully vaccinated (+0.0)

VACCINATIONS BY COUNTY POPULATION (FRIDAY)

COVID-19 VACCINATION CLINICS

The Community Vaccination Clinic inside the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on select dates until December 15. The list of dates will be updated on Outagamie County website. No appointment is necessary for this walk-in clinic, which is located near the food court and Scheel’s. There is no charge and no ID is required.

The Town of Green Bay and Brown County holds a vaccination clinic this Friday October 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., to reach out to people who live and work in and around the city center. Another vaccination clinic will take place one week of Friday, October 8, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. These free vaccination clinics are located on the first floor of the Sophie Beaumont building, 111 N. Jefferson St. People will receive the Pfizer vaccine. The clinics for their second dose will take place three weeks later.

The Oshkosh Farmers Market hosts COVID-19 vaccination clinics three Saturdays in October: October 16, 23, and 30. All clinics will be held at the Time Community Theater, 445 N. Main St., from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm The Winnebago County Department of Health will provide a vaccine for everyone ages 12 and older. The vaccine is free.

COVID-19 TEST SITES

The Town of Appleton offers a walk-in clinic in the former Best Buy building, 2411 S. Kensington Dr., every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 14 (see the list of dates here). Pre-registration is not required, but is encouraged to speed up the process.

Walk-in or drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at the Sunnyview Expo Center weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the Wisconsin National Guard handling the testing. Registration is encouraged at www.winnebagopublichealth.org. The test is recommended (and free) for anyone as young as 1 year old who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has symptoms of COVID-19, which may include fever, chills , cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, or sudden loss of taste or smell. Results are usually back within 48 hours.

RATE OF CASES AND DEATHS IN FRIDAY COUNTY (counties with an increase in cases or deaths since the last report are in bold) **

The Michigan Department of Health said Friday’s update was delayed due to a technical difficulty.

• Brown – 37,117 cases (+92) (264 deaths)
• Calumet – 6,646 cases (+14) (53 deaths)
• Dickinson (Mich.) * – 2,804 cases (60 deaths)
• Dodge – 13,843 cases (+64) (191 deaths)
• Door – 3,190 cases (+23) (31 deaths)
• Florence – 488 cases (+2) (13 deaths)
• Fond du Lac – 15,262 squares (+93) (140 deaths)
• Forest – 1,296 cases (+19) (27 deaths)
• Gogebic (Mich.) * – 1,251 cases (23 deaths)
• Lac Vert – 2 186 cases (+28) (25 deaths)
• Iron (Michigan) * – 1,162 cases (43 deaths)
• Kewaunee – 2,731 cases (+18) (30 deaths)
• Langlade – 2 604 cases (+24) (38 deaths)
• Manitowoc – 8,948 cases (+32) (81 deaths)
• Marinette – 5,023 cases (+38) (69 deaths)
• Menominee (Mich.) * – 2,262 cases (44 deaths)
• Menominee – 890 cases (+6) (11 deaths)
• Oconto – 5,484 cases (+33) (65 deaths)
• Outagamy – 23,742 cases (+104) (235 deaths) (+1)
• Shawano – 5,616 cases (+24) (76 deaths)
• Sheboygan – 15,778 cases (+46) (155 deaths)
• Waupaca – 6,029 cases (+19) (134 deaths)
• Waushara – 2,688 cases (+18) (43 deaths)
• Winnebago – 21,754 cases (+99) (218 deaths)

* You can find a list of cases and deaths for all counties in Wisconsin on the DHS County Data Website. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wisconsin Hospital Association do not issue updates on weekends. Update: The Michigan Department of Health updates information on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

** Cases and deaths are from state COVID-19 reports, which may differ from local health department numbers. The Wisconsin DHS reports cases of all health departments within a county, including tribal, municipal, and county health departments; county websites cannot. Additionally, public health departments update their data at different times, while DHS freezes the numbers it receives at the same time each day to compile the afternoon report.

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