Wisconsin's COVID case count blew past 400,000

[This post has been updated, as Wisconsin's COVID19 positive case count now exceeds 409,000.] 

A grim COVID milestone has been passed, as I predicted on Nov. 26 last week.

With Wisconsin's COVID19 case total exceeding 392,000, data show, it's likely that the tally will hit 400,000 during shopping hours on Black Friday 2020. 

And at current rates, the COVID19 positive case total this weekend will exceed the capacity of five Lambeau Fields at 81,000+ each, or more than 15 times the 26,000+ residents of Stevens Point.

And the numbers reported by the NY Times on Nov, 29 have worsened by another 22 deaths, more than 5,000 new cases and dozens of additional hospitalizations.

There are faces, names, families, and communities - real pain and suffering - behind every number. 

This is a catastrophe enabled by a United States President, a Wisconsin Supreme Court and a GOP-led state Legislature that has not met since mid-April. 

Editorial: Wisconsin is being swamped by the coronavirus pandemic. Republican leaders do nothing.

This is what happens when public servants fail the public. 

People die.

'More Than Just Numbers': CDC Official Says Wisconsin Has Staggering Number Of COVID-19 Cases, Deaths

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From 11/26/2020:

With Wisconsin's COVID19 case total exceeding 392,000, data show, it's likely that the tally will hit 400,000 during shopping hours on Black Friday 2020. 

And at current rates, the COVID19 positive case total this weekend will exceed the capacity of five Lambeau Fields at 81,000+ each, or more than 15 times the 26,000+ residents of Stevens Point.

Wisconsin began reporting COVID19 cases in mid-march; by October 27th the total stood at 206,311, data show, so reported infections have nearly doubled in just the last month.

And those numbers could easily worsen, for three reasons: 

1. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's gatherings in the next five weeks will inevitably lead to virus transmission. Experts say the worst is yet to come.

'The wave hasn't hit us yet': Medical experts worry huge surge of coronavirus deaths is coming to Wisconsin

2. The State Supreme Court seems likely to upend Gov. Evers' masking orders. 

3. Cold weather and flu season will create conditions in which COVID19 will thrive.

Meanwhile, 'there's reason to hope that the WI GOP-led legislature will reconvene after an eight-month+ vacation and pass its promised comprehensive package of COVID19-responsive public health and financial assistance measures,' said no one in Wisconsin.