MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin reported a decline in coronavirus cases on Thursday, but health officials worried that holiday gatherings could undo recent progress in slowing infections.
The Department of Health Services reported 5,095 new cases of the virus - the sixth day that new cases have declined. But health officials also reported 62 more deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 3,240.
Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has decreased by 5.2%. But the state has still reported the nation’s sixth-highest number of new cases in that time, with Johns Hopkins researchers tallying about 1,567 new cases per 100,000 people. Roughly one in every 139 people has tested positive in the past week.
Health officials are readying for another surge in infections and deaths stemming from Thanksgiving gatherings. They pushed people to stay at home to celebrate the holiday in an effort to slow the spread.
The state saw deaths from the virus skyrocket this fall following a wave of coronavirus cases.
The Department of Health Services noted the loss that many feel after losing family and friends to the virus. It wrote on Twitter, “3,240 families won’t have their loved ones at their #Thanksgiving tables ever again.”
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