COVID-19 update: Door County numbers fall, Kewaunee County's stay constant

Door County saw a continued drop in the number and rate of positive tests for the COVID-19 virus over the past week, while those numbers in Kewaunee County are maintaining the same pace as recent weeks, according to results released Tuesday by the counties' health departments.

The Door County Public Health Department reported a total of 1,601 confirmed positive cases since testing began in spring and 122 probable cases — those who have not yet been confirmed positive by a lab but had a positive antigen test or have COVID-19 symptoms and known exposure to the virus. Such cases are considered positive and those in that category should isolate themselves and contact their employers and close contacts.

The combined total of 1,723 positive/probable cases (one in every 16 residents, compared to one in 18.5 a week ago) is 77 more than were reported Nov. 23, a significant drop from the 132 reported between Nov. 17 and 23 and the more than 200 positives that came in each of the three straight preceding weeks.

Two metrics the Wisconsin Department of Public Health uses to measure the state's and counties' progress in fending off COVID-19 is the percentage of tests for the virus that turn up positive over a given week and the number of positive tests per 100,000 residents.

While part of the drop in positive tests was because fewer results than usual were reported — from 645 the week before to 407 the past week — the rate of positive tests also fell slightly in that time, from 20.5% to 18.9%. Those are notable drops from rates of 41.6% and 33% in the two prior weeks. The cumulative rate of positive results, from a total of 12,962 tests, is 13.3%, compared to 12.2% a week ago.

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According to statistics posted Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Public Health, Door County reported 254 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people over the past week, down from 474 as of Nov. 23 and 666 the week before that. Tuesday's number ranks Door County 66th-most among the state's 72 counties. The county cumulative number of cases per 100,000 since testing began this spring is 5,784, 50th-most in the state.

One more death because of COVID-19 complications was reported, giving Door County a total of 11. As of Tuesday, 428 cases are active and eight people were hospitalized in the past week because of the virus, bringing the overall total to 57. So far, 1,285 residents have recovered.

Kewaunee County marks 10th week with more than 100 positives

The Kewaunee County Public Health Department reported 133 new positive tests since Nov. 23, marking 10 straight weeks with more than 100 positive results with the number hovering between 138 and 111 per week for the past month. The cumulative total of positives among county residents since testing began this spring is now 1,734, which means one of every 11.8 people in the county has had a positive test at some time this year; that ratio has increased by about one person a week for the past four weeks.

Two more county residents died from complications from the virus in the past week, bringing the death toll in the county to 20, 15 in the past six weeks.

With 316 results reported in the past week, 183 of them negative, the rate of positive tests in Kewaunee County was 42.1% — higher than the state rate of 34.6% in that period. It's also above the 38.9% mark for the period from Nov. 17 to 23 and the third time in four weeks it's been higher than 40%. The cumulative positive rate since testing began also rose above 1-in-5 for the first time, to 20.5%; the state's cumulative rate is 15.4%.

However, the number of positive tests per 100,000 people for the county in the past seven days fell noticeably — and for the first time in more than a month — from 653 as of Nov. 23 to 451 on Tuesday. That figure is 29th-highest of the state's 72 counties, compared to ranking 37th a week ago and 61st and 65th the two weeks before.

But, the cumulative number for the county since testing began is 8,370 per 100,000, which saw Kewaunee County rise to the sixth-highest total in Wisconsin after it was 10th the week before.

The number of active cases and hospitalizations fell in the county over the week, from 139 to 120 active cases and five people hospitalized to four people. So far, 1,594 people have recovered.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: COVID-19 update: Door County numbers fall, Kewaunee County's stay constant