COVID Exit Strategy, a crisis and pandemic expert group, found that Wisconsin is one of 20 states with an “uncontrolled” coronavirus spread, with the seven-day positive case average increasing by more than 25%.
Wisconsin has seen its seven-day average jump from 697 to 909 positive cases over the past 14 days, according to COVID Exit Strategy’s website.
The state’s Department of Health Services website shows that Wisconsin’s seven day average of 879 cases Sept. 7 was their highest since July 26 when the average reached 930 cases.
Along with an increase in total cases, Wisconsin has seen an uptick in the percentage of tests coming back positive.
According to COVID Exit Strategy, Wisconsin’s positivity rate has gone from 8.3% to 10.6% in the last 14 days — this is almost double the national average, which currently sits at 5.5%.
DHS said Sept. 7 marked the first time the seven day positivity rate average has reached 10%. The state had not seen a positivity rate over 9% since May 5, and the lowest positivity rate was seen June 5, dipping to 3%.
This increase came along with the start of many in-person classes for universities around the state. The University of Wisconsin saw its highest single-day total Sept. 6, reporting 149 positive cases.
In a press release published Sept. 7, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said the county had its highest single-day positive case number since the beginning of the pandemic. According to Public Health Madison and Dane County, of the 147 positive cases, more than half were students and the faculty from UW.
Dane County, UW prepared to handle influx of COVID-19 cases on campus
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway spoke about the increase on UW’s campus in a press release.
“UW-Madison is part of the Madison community and has an impact on all of us,” Rhodes-Conway said. “We need everyone to take precautions to help keep our community safe.”
