Appleton Post-CrescentThe state health department confirmed 598 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and updated its weekly rankings of virus activity levels, bumping 13 more counties into the "high" group. Officials acknowledged Wisconsin's surge in cases during a media briefing Tuesday. The state's seven-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 565, up significantly from mid-June, which saw averages under 300. The county activity rankings reflect the same trend. When the Department of Health Services first released the data for the week of June 17, just 19 counties had high...…Appleton Post-CrescentThe state health department confirmed 598 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and updated its weekly rankings of virus activity levels, bumping 13 more counties into the "high" group. Officials acknowledged Wisconsin's surge in cases during a media briefing Tuesday. The state's seven-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 565, up significantly from mid-June, which saw averages under 300. The county activity rankings reflect the same trend. When the Department of Health Services first released the data for the week of June 17, just 19 counties had high...WW…

USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsWisconsin reported 1,117 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, a new record and the first time the state has exceeded 1,000 cases confirmed in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. The milestone drew the attention of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign, which blamed the acceleration of the virus in Wisconsin on Republican legislative leaders and President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak. "At nearly every turn, Trump and Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature have undermined the...…USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsWisconsin reported 1,117 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, a new record and the first time the state has exceeded 1,000 cases confirmed in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. The milestone drew the attention of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign, which blamed the acceleration of the virus in Wisconsin on Republican legislative leaders and President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak. "At nearly every turn, Trump and Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature have undermined the...WW…

USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsWhen Sarah Tritt saw that people with a higher body mass index would soon be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin, she weighed herself. There were jokes all over social media about people doing the same — and swinging by the Culver's drive-thru, throwing another burger on the grill or indulging in more frequent Friday night fish fry dinners.But for Tritt, 23, of Madison, it was no joke. In recovery for an eating disorder that developed when she was 17, she said she avoids weighing herself because it can trigger an onslaught of...…USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsWhen Sarah Tritt saw that people with a higher body mass index would soon be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin, she weighed herself. There were jokes all over social media about people doing the same — and swinging by the Culver's drive-thru, throwing another burger on the grill or indulging in more frequent Friday night fish fry dinners.But for Tritt, 23, of Madison, it was no joke. In recovery for an eating disorder that developed when she was 17, she said she avoids weighing herself because it can trigger an onslaught of...WW…

USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsEarly results from an ongoing statewide study of COVID-19 antibodies suggest that not many more people in Wisconsin have been infected with the coronavirus than what has shown up in lab-confirmed cases. Only 1.6% of Wisconsin residents have antibodies that show evidence of a previous fight against the coronavirus, according to tests from a sample of 1,056 people from July to mid-August. The sample was chosen from people who had previously been recruited for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, a statewide research survey out of...…USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinView CommentsEarly results from an ongoing statewide study of COVID-19 antibodies suggest that not many more people in Wisconsin have been infected with the coronavirus than what has shown up in lab-confirmed cases. Only 1.6% of Wisconsin residents have antibodies that show evidence of a previous fight against the coronavirus, according to tests from a sample of 1,056 people from July to mid-August. The sample was chosen from people who had previously been recruited for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, a statewide research survey out of...WW…

Paige Schonfelder, a nurse at a Fox Valley hospital, started her career just two months before the coronavirus pandemic hit Wisconsin. After a quiet spring and summer, she's worried what fall could hold as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals across the state. One of Paige Schonfelder's recent COVID-19 patients told her she'd done everything right.The woman had a compromised immune system, so she'd heeded experts' advice to stay home and avoid social gatherings. She must have picked it up at the grocery store, she told Schonfelder.For weeks, the woman suffered alone at a Fox Valley...…Paige Schonfelder, a nurse at a Fox Valley hospital, started her career just two months before the coronavirus pandemic hit Wisconsin. After a quiet spring and summer, she's worried what fall could hold as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals across the state. One of Paige Schonfelder's recent COVID-19 patients told her she'd done everything right.The woman had a compromised immune system, so she'd heeded experts' advice to stay home and avoid social gatherings. She must have picked it up at the grocery store, she told Schonfelder.For weeks, the woman suffered alone at a Fox Valley...WW…

USA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsAs demonstrations erupt throughout the U.S. to demand justice for black Americans killed at the hands of police, one thing is clear: The events don't align with public health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered together to mourn and protest police brutality after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for several minutes.There have been no statewide limits on large gatherings since Gov. Tony Evers' stay-at-home order ended May 13, though experts...…USA TODAY NETWORKView CommentsAs demonstrations erupt throughout the U.S. to demand justice for black Americans killed at the hands of police, one thing is clear: The events don't align with public health guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered together to mourn and protest police brutality after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for several minutes.There have been no statewide limits on large gatherings since Gov. Tony Evers' stay-at-home order ended May 13, though experts...WW…