Milwaukee County's percentage of positive coronavirus tests stays high at 16% while statewide results continue downward trend

Natalie Brophy Ricardo Torres Jeff Rumage
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests continues to fall in Wisconsin, as the state health department reported Saturday that 2.7% of test results came back positive for the coronavirus. 

Of the 11,792 new test results reported by the state Department of Health Services on Saturday, 322 were positive for the virus. This is the lowest number of new cases reported since Monday, and the lowest percentage of positive cases since Sunday. 

As of Saturday, 20,571 people in Wisconsin have tested positive for COVID-19. In total, 314,802 people have been tested and 645 people have died, according to state health officials. 

More than two-thirds of Wisconsinites, or 13,770 people, who tested positive for the coronavirus have recovered, according to DHS. Thirty percent, or 6,155 cases, are considered to still be ill. Those who have died account for 3% of all Wisconsin cases.

The rate of hospitalization has remained around 14% since the start of the pandemic. According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, 315 people are currently hospitalized — 40 fewer than on Friday. Of those, 118 are in intensive care.

In Milwaukee County, 1,563 hospital beds are being used for coronavirus patients. Of those, 350 are in intensive care units — 64% of capacity.

According to data from the county, 291 people have died from the virus so far, and there have been 8,709 confirmed cases. 

There have been a total of 65,713 tests performed in the county, and over the last week 90% to 100% of tests have had results within 48 hours, according to county data.

And while the state overall is seeing a downward trend in the percentage of positive tests, Milwaukee County's is much higher — averaging 16% over the past seven days. The most recent low is 9%, reported in mid-May.

Outbreak reported at Metro Market in Mequon

A coronavirus outbreak has been reported at the Metro Market grocery store in Mequon, according to the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department's online dashboard.

The dashboard tool does not specify how many cases have been reported at the grocery store. The health department defines an outbreak as any two positive cases that are affiliated with the organization and exposed at the same time.

When a reporter called the store at 11558 N. Port Washington Road on June 5, an employee said they were informed one or two weeks ago that some workers tested positive for COVID-19, but they were not told the exact number of positive cases.

Officials from the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department did not return a phone call seeking more information about the reported outbreak.

Roundy's spokesman James Hyland said the company does not comment on individual coronavirus cases. If employees test positive for COVID-19, Hyland said the company works closely with state and local health experts.

Hyland said all Metro Market and Pick 'n Save stores follow sanitary guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All employees are required to wear masks and have their temperature checked before each shift, he said.

To promote social distancing, the store has placed floor decals to indicate a 6-foot distance at all registers, pharmacy windows and self-checkout lanes, he said.

Carts and self-checkout screens are cleaned after each customer, and the store broadcasts reminders about the importance of social distancing every 15 minutes, he said.

Coronavirus cases by county

On Saturday, the total number of cases in each Wisconsin county stood as follows:

  • 8,688 in Milwaukee County
  • 2,374 in Brown County
  • 1,906 in Racine County
  • 1,267 in Kenosha County
  • 814 in Dane County
  • 795 in Waukesha County
  • 685 in Rock County
  • 435 in Walworth County
  • 395 in Dodge County
  • 354 in Winnebago County
  • 277 in Washington County
  • 263 in Outagamie County
  • 233 in Fond du Lac County
  • 180 in Ozaukee County
  • 124 in Jefferson County
  • 121 in Eau Claire County
  • 111 in Sheboygan County
  • 105 in St. Croix County
  • 98 in Grant County
  • 81 in Sauk County
  • 79 in Calumet County
  • 71 in Green County
  • 68 in La Crosse County
  • 63 in Marathon County
  • 58 in Chippewa County
  • 56 in Shawano County
  • 51 in Waupaca County
  • 50 in Pierce County
  • 44 in Columbia County
  • 42 in Clark County 
  • 41 in Oconto County 
  • 39 in Door and Manitowoc counties
  • 38 in Trempealeau County
  • 36 in Kewaunee County
  • 33 in Forest. Marinette, Polk and Portage counties
  • 30 in Lafayette County
  • 27 in Dunn County 
  • 26 in Crawford County 
  • 23 in Juneau County 
  • 22 in Green Lake County
  • 21 in Vernon County
  • 20 in Barron and Douglas counties
  • 18 in Jackson and Monroe counties 
  • 16 in Iowa County 
  • 14 in Richland County
  • 12 in Oneida County
  • 11 in Wood County
  • 10 in Waushara County
  • 8 in Sawyer and Vilas counties
  • 7 in Lincoln County
  • 6 in Buffalo County
  • 5 in Adams, Marquette and Rusk counties
  • 4 in Langlade County
  • 3 in Ashland, Bayfield, Menominee and Washburn counties 
  • 2 in Florence, Iron, Price and Taylor counties 
  • 1 in Burnett and Pepin counties

Note that these numbers are frozen once daily by the Department of Health Services and may not match local case counts. 

As of Saturday afternoon, 6.8 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed globally, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 362,600 people have died worldwide. In the United States, 1.9 million people have been infected and 109,500 people have died. 

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Contact Natalie Brophy at (715) 216-5452 or nbrophy@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie