COVID-19 cases total 5,687 in Wisconsin as testing capacity jumps

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 331 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a new high that comes as the state has ramped up its daily testing capacity.

So far 5,687 people have tested positive for the virus in Wisconsin, and 266 people have died, an increase of four from Friday. About one-quarter of all patients have required hospitalization.

In the past couple of days, Wisconsin’s lab testing capacity has leaped by more than one-third to nearly 11,000 tests a day, according to the DHS. A week ago, Wisconsin was performing about 8,000 tests a day.

In turn, the number of new cases has spiked as well. The state recorded its highest single-day totals consecutively on Friday and Saturday.

A total of 57,138 tests have come back negative.

According to DHS statistics, 2,665 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Wisconsin.