Wisconsin approaches 40,000 cases of COVID-19 as most counties have high levels of activity for the spread of disease

MADISON, Wis. – The number of new COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin continues to increase as the state approaches 40,000 cases.

State and county health officials confirmed 883 new cases on Thursday, bringing the lifetime total to 39,899. *

July has seen a steady influx of new cases, with more than 10,000 since the beginning of the month. As of Wednesday, most counties in Wisconsin have high levels of activity for the spread of disease, according to data from the state Department of Health Services.

Testing in Wisconsin has remained consistently high in the past few days, with more than 14,000 people screened in the past 24 hours.

Of those people, DHS said 6.3% of the new tests were positive. That percentage has remained within one percentage point since Monday.

Health officials said 8,236 cases are still active, and there have been 45 new hospitalizations. Four more deaths have been confirmed, and a total of 832 people have died in Wisconsin from the virus.

With the state’s 11,398 hospital beds, approximately 22% remains available. There are also 959 ventilators left for patient use.

In an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19, many corporations across the country have announced plans to implement mask mandates at their stores, including Walmart, Target and Pick ‘n Save.

Some counties have also begun taking action at the municipal level, as Rock County health officials have made the masks mandatory at all county-run facilities.

In Dane County, the decision to demand that they cover their faces has sparked rejection from some as a group plans to stage a protest against the mask in Madison next week.

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* News 3 Now uses data from DHS and county dashboards to calculate daily cases and deaths. DHS publishes new numbers daily at 2 pm, and our newsroom continues to update our totals throughout the day with additional cases that individual counties report. Using a combination of state and county data, News 3 Now is dedicated to providing the most complete and up-to-date COVID-19 coverage.