Wisconsin sets record for daily new COVID-19 cases

Wisconsin set a record for new daily COVID-19 cases with 1,547 reported on Thursday.

That brought the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 84,881.

Ten more people died, for a total of 1,193.

There were 8,822 more people tested, for a total of 1,330,329. The positivity rate was 17.5 percent.

The average number of daily new COVID-19 cases over the last week was 1,004 as of Thursday. The seven-day positivity rate was 13.4 percent.

According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, there were 304 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state, an increase of two from Wednesday. Ninety-three were in intensive care units, an increase of seven.

Dane County set a new record for new cases reported in the last 24 hours, with 456 reported by the local county health department. That was more than double the record of 195, set on Sunday.

County Executive Joe Parisi called it the “first sustained, significant surge of illness” since the pandemic began.

He attributed the majority of new cases are affiliated with the University of Wisconsin, which is shifting to online instruction next week and quarantining students to halt the spread of the disease.

“We will have some incredibly difficult and sad weeks ahead if we don’t rally together now and stop this deeply disturbing trend,” he said in a statement.