DHS, hospitals release more COVID-19 data

State health officials and Wisconsin hospitals began releasing more data this week on the impact of COVID-19 in the state.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association launched a dashboard on Thursday afternoon showing hospital admissions for the disease as well as bed and ventilator availability.

The dashboard also details the number of hospitals with seven days or fewer of personal protective equipment. It includes a breakdown by region.

As of Friday morning, more than 70 percent of the state’s intensive care unit beds were in use, and there were 1,233 available ventilators.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health Services started releasing more detail on COVID-19 deaths and cases by race and ethnicity.

DHS said Thursday that black Wisconsinites made up 27 percent of the positive COVID-19 cases and 44 percent of the deaths. Black people account for a little less than 7 percent of the state’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, said a variety of circumstances affecting black Wisconsinites, including disproportionate work in service areas, housing conditions in the inner city that don’t allow for social distancing, a “dearth of healthcare” and underlying health conditions like asthma and diabetes, increase the risk of dying from the virus.

“If someone said to me very specifically, ‘You mean to tell me that COVID-19 is racist?’ Well, COVID-19 is very opportunist, I’ll tell you that,” she told reporters on a press call held by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “If you’re weak, if you’re poor, if you can’t afford to have your groceries delivered to you, if you can’t stock up for a month’s time and avoid the interactions, if you work in the public service sector, I think you’re at greater risk. And those things seem to come together for African-Americans.”

Moore said the pandemic “opens the door” for a larger discussion about addressing healthcare disparities.

She called for collecting the demographic data to learn about housing conditions and public transportation, which could be critical for minimizing deaths in the future.

“We’ve often said in the black community, that when America gets the cold, the black community gets pneumonia,” she said. “That literally is coming true.”

Other COVID-19 updates:

There have been 111 deaths from the illness, DHS reported Thursday. There were 31,424 negative tests and 2,885 positive tests for COVID-19. Twenty-nine percent of positive cases were hospitalized.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday that asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order Gov. Tony Evers and state corrections officials to release elderly and vulnerable people from state prisons and reduce the prison population to a level where social distancing is possible. They filed it on behalf of two incarcerated inmates, Disability Rights Wisconsin and criminal defense lawyers.
DHS said they’ve added 120 contact tracers to help public health departments that need additional capacity. The agency said it’s also monitoring new cases to determine if there’s any connection to Tuesday’s primary and elections.
The Department of Workforce Development said that between March 15 and April 6, 313,068 applications were submitted for unemployment benefits. During the same period last year, there were 17,748 new applications.
Wisconsin business groups asked Gov. Tony Evers to set April 24 – the end date for his safer-at-home order – as a firm date to start the process of reopening the state’s economy.
Evers signed an order allowing the Department of Safety and Professional Services to provide additional flexibilities to fire departments, construction services, physical therapists, accountants and others affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, the order streamlines the construction process for healthcare providers to provide needed space to those suffering from the disease, according to a statement from Evers.
Evers signed a separate order giving more low-income veterans access to emergency financial aid.
The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance issued guidance notifying those who have lost employer-sponsored health insurance that they may qualify for an open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act exchange.
Evers said Thursday that religious organizations and places of worship can still continue offering faith-based services and gatherings as long as they have less than 10 people at a time in a room. Those looking to conduct services may do so via parking lots where congregants stay in their cars, live streaming and having small gatherings with multiple services.

Wisconsin Health News is removing the password on all stories related to the coronavirus. For the latest developments follow us on Twitter at @wihealthnews or check out our website. For complete healthcare coverage, sign up for a free trial to our daily email newsletter.