Name: Wisconsin surpasses 1,500 coronavirus deaths, reports more than 3,200 new cases in worst day of pandemic yet
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Wisconsin surpasses 1,500 coronavirus deaths, reports more than 3,200 new cases in worst day of pandemic yet

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin's escalating coronavirus crisis reached a distressing level of severity Tuesday, as the state recorded its worst day of the pandemic yet following weeks of record-breaking numbers.The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 new cases and 34 deaths due to the coronavirus&nbsp;— both measures the highest of the pandemic.The state crossed the grim threshold of 1,500 total deaths and reported its highest-ever average of new cases — 2,727 a day over the last seven days."How many more? How many more do we need before people will take action?" Gov. Tony Evers said in a news conference Tuesday.Wisconsin has reported more positive tests in the six weeks since Sept. 1 than it did in all of the first eight months of the year.Of the more than 155,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Wisconsin, 51% have come since Sept. 1, according to a Journal Sentinel analysis.Track COVID-19 in Wisconsin:How to interpret COVID-19 data:The massive volume of cases reported in such a short time span has burdened&nbsp;contact tracing staff and across the state, especially in northeast and central Wisconsin.The state is set to open a Wednesday at State Fair Park in West Allis to free up bed space at hospitals and to&nbsp;treat coronavirus patients who require less than hospital-level care. It will be ready to serve 50 patients on the first day."Our current surge in cases will lead to more hospitalizations, which is why we must be prepared," said Andrea Palm, DHS secretary-designee."We hope we do not need this overflow capacity but the reality of this virus —&nbsp;its transmissibility, its incubation time, and its potential severity—&nbsp;dictates that we get ready," she said.Wisconsin on Tuesday reported 959 people were hospitalized due to the virus in Wisconsin, a slight rise from the day before. There were 243 coronavirus patients in ICUs.Wisconsin's case counts and hospitalizations are&nbsp;more than double and triple what they were a month ago.One month ago on Sept. 13, as the outbreak was picking up speed in the state, Wisconsin's 1,582 new cases set a record for the time. There were 313 people hospitalized with the virus then.In several regions of the state, the number of coronavirus patients is multiple times what it was a month ago.Hospitals in hotspots such as northeast Wisconsin are also experiencing staffing shortages as workers are exposed to the virus in the community and are forced to quarantine at home.But it's not just Green Bay and the Fox Valley. The Milwaukee area, the state's hotspot in the spring, is seeing a "concerning" resurgence in hospitalizations, local health officials said.“We’re now only to Tuesday and we’ve had quite a week already. We’re seeing a near tripling of hospitalizations in Milwaukee County in as many weeks,” said Ben Weston, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management.&nbsp;Weston said hospitals in Milwaukee County are still in good shape because of plans made in February and March to find additional space for a wave of coronavirus patients. Still, he said “the trajectory is concerning.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Deaths due to the virus have seen an alarming rise in recent weeks, a product of the state's exponential growth in cases.Before Tuesday, the state had never reported more than Evers urged residents to wear masks, avoid large gatherings and follow the emergency order in place limiting most businesses' capacity to 25%."At the end of the day it's about individual responsibility. I've said this a million times. I'm so sick of saying it," he said.&nbsp;Also in the throes of a worsening crisis is Wisconsin's prison system. There were 1,055 positive cases among inmates in the state Tuesday and about 2,000 in quarantine, .The&nbsp;Racine Correctional Institution/Sturtevant Transitional Facility became the third prison experiencing a large active outbreak after 124 cases among inmates.Two other prisons, Kettle Moraine Correctional Institution and Oshkosh Correctional Institution, are still in the midst of large outbreaks.As of Tuesday, Kettle Moraine had 352 active cases among inmates and Oshkosh had 347.The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin has filed an open records request&nbsp;from the Department of Corrections about the more than 2,500&nbsp;incarcerated people who have contracted the virus in state prisons since the pandemic began.The ACLU is seeking the information following reports last week that two inmates at Dodge Correctional Institution had in September.The organization wants to learn how the department is quarantining and isolating people exposed to the virus, the availability for masks for prisoners, how and when a person who is incarcerated will be tested for the virus, and if guards and other prison employees are screened for the virus before entering the prison.This week the City of Milwaukee opened two new free coronavirus testing sites —Northwest Health Center, 7630 W. Mill Road, and Southside Health Center, 1639 S. 23rd St.Meanwhile, the Wisconsin National Guard drive-through test sites at UMOS and Obama Middle School, though they will at the end of the week before the city transitions to a drive-through testing site at Miller Park.&nbsp;The four free coronavirus test sites combined for a total of 2,597 tests on Monday, said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.The Northwest and Southside health centers are open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Interim Milwaukee Health Commissioner Marlaina Jackson said plans are to eventually open the clinics on weekends.&nbsp;Starting Thursday, free flu shots will also be available at the Northwest and Southside health centers. Anyone can get a flu shot at the same time they’re tested for COVID, and no appointments are needed.&nbsp;Andrew Mollica, Meg Jones and Ricardo Torres&nbsp;of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or . Follow her&nbsp;on Twitter at .

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin's escalating coronavirus crisis reached a distressing level of severity Tuesday, as the state recorded its worst day of the pandemic yet following weeks of record-breaking numbers.The state Department of Health Services reported 3,279 new cases and 34 deaths due to the coronavirus&nbsp;— both measures the highest of the pandemic.The state crossed the grim threshold of 1,500 total deaths and reported its highest-ever average of new cases — 2,727 a day over the last seven days."How many more? How many more do we need before people will take action?" Gov....

Wisconsin surpasses 1,500 coronavirus deaths, reports more than 3,200 new cases in worst day of pandemic yet

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