MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin health officials on Wednesday confirmed hundreds of new COVID-19 cases and deaths connected to the disease.
The Department of Health Services reported 2,579 newly confirmed cases. The state has now seen 463,594 cases since the pandemic began in March.
The DHS reported the disease was a factor in 69 more deaths, bringing the overall death toll to 4,614. Nearly 34,000 cases were active in the state. The state set a record for daily deaths with 120 on Tuesday.
The seven-day average of positive tests continued a steady drop since mid-November, however; it stood at 2,685 tests as of Wednesday afternoon, down 2,659 on Tuesday and down from a record high of 6,563 on Nov. 18.
Meanwhile Wednesday, state officials announced the launch of a new contact tracing app for mobile devices. The app uses Bluetooth technology to track devices with the app and their proximity to each another.
People who download the app and test positive will receive a text asking if they want to send an anonymous notification to other devices with the app that were in close proximity for at least 15 minutes.
The app is available free of charge through the DHS website.
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