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The number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily in Wisconsin continued its meteoric rise Friday, shattering previous records set earlier in the week.

The state Department of Health Services reported 2,533 new cases as well as 10,534 negative cases, for a 19.4% positivity rate.

The state also reported seven deaths Friday, bringing the death toll to 1,238.

The number of new cases reported Friday is well above any previous record since the pandemic began. Just Thursday the state set a record high of about 2,000 cases, and prior to that, Sunday’s numbers topped the all-time leaderboard with about 1,500 cases.

The average number of new daily cases over the last seven days — a number that can show trends and account for anomalies — was also higher than ever Friday, at 1,575.

With nearly 20% of tests reported Friday returning positive results, the seven-day average positivity rate climbed to 15.3%, another all-time record.

More than 1.4 million people have been tested statewide for the virus. Of the 97,279 Wisconsinites who have tested positive:

  • 85.5%, or 83,184, have “recovered” by DHS standards, meaning there is documented proof their symptoms have resolved or it’s been 30 days since their diagnosis.
  • 13.2%, or 12,839, are considered “active,” meaning they aren’t recovered and haven’t died.

As of Thursday, 347 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 103 people were in the ICU, DHS reported. An additional 148 people were hospitalized and awaiting test results.

Global cases have surpassed 30 million as of mid-Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 6.6 million of those cases and 198,100 deaths were in the United States.

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