Wisconsin
Wisconsin COVID-19 cases continue surge, while La Crosse adds 48 more
For the eighth time this month, the state of Wisconsin well over 2,000 cases of COVID-19, while La Crosse County adds another 48.
The county is now at 3,095 total cases, according to state data on Tuesday.
Hospitalizations on the county’s dashboard remained at 80. The dashboard, however, does not indicate “new” hospitalizations.
The average cases per day the past week is now 44. At its peak, it was 127 on Sept. 17.
In other counties, Monroe suffered its third death from the virus — a woman in her 80s — the county’s health department announced Tuesday. The last death, a man in his 70s, happened Aug. 4. The first happened April 10.
Monroe also added 19 cases and is at 562 total. The county has averaged 15.9 cases the past two weeks.
Winona added 18 cases (906). Trempealeau added 10 (659 total), Vernon nine (242) and Houston two (130).
STATE TOTALS
Wisconsin:119,995 cases, 7,209 hospitalizations, 1,300 deaths
Minnesota: 98,447 cases, 7,633 hospitalizations, 2,202 deaths
Iowa: 88,235 cases, 1,341 deaths
Statewide, Wisconsin added 2,367 cases, 67 hospitalizations and 13 deaths.
There are 646 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. That’s more than double the number from just over two weeks ago and 45% more than the previous peak in early April.
“The rise in cases, particularly as increased transmission affects larger populations, is likely to result in an increased number of deaths,” Dr. Ryan Westergaard, a chief medical officer with the state Department of Health Services said. With COVID-19 likely able to spread more when the weather gets colder, “the likelihood that this is going to get much worse before it gets better is a real one,” he added.
There have been double-digit deaths seven times now in September.
The state’s seven-day average in new cases (2,255) is three times higher than a month ago. Wisconsin ranks third in new cases per capita over the past two weeks.
“What we have now in Wisconsin is a generalized epidemic,” Westergaard said. “It’s safe to assume that the virus is everywhere. … We are in a crisis.”
Minnesota added 817 cases, five deaths and a single-day high 87 hospitalizations.
Iowa data shows another 978 cases and 17 deaths through Tuesday.
