As of Friday, 384 Wisconsinites had died of coronavirus.

Almost all of them suffered from at least one underlying health condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, pulmonary disease or obesity, according to an analysis of state data and a spreadsheet created by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to track COVID-19 deaths statewide.

More victims were male, making up 59% of the toll. And at least 39% of the fatalities occurred among people who resided in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, according to state data.

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Also Friday, confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wisconsin jumped by 375 — the second-highest increase since the state began testing — for a new total of 9,590. 

Wisconsin’s single-day high for confirmed cases came May 1, with more than 460 new positives.

More than 4,600 new test results were reported Friday — the second-most yet, after the state’s high of more than 5,500 on Thursday.

Saying he saw no reason to extend his stay-at-home order beyond May 26, Gov. Tony Evers and the state’s economic development agency unveiled a plan Friday for businesses to resume operations safely once the order expires. (It could be nullified sooner by the state Supreme Court, which is considering a suit by Republican lawmakers to block it.)

The guidance suggests removing as much interaction between customers and workers as is feasible and requiring workers in all industries to wear masks if possible.

“It’s a very tricky thing that you have to decide,” said Abdur Chowdhury, professor emeritus of economics at Marquette University and former chief economist of the United Nations Economic Commission. “You have to walk a very fine line here. You want to reopen the economy but … not in such a way that it increases the number of cases.

Meanwhile, a second Wisconsin meatpacking worker has died of COVID-19. At least 835 food-processing workers have tested positive at 16 plants in Wisconsin, according to a count by the Journal Sentinel as part of its ongoing investigation into the facilities.

The actual number is unknown. The state, many companies and some local health authorities aren’t disclosing figures.

Hospitals have capacity for non-COVID patients

Hospitals around Milwaukee also are moving toward ramping up operations, beginning to perform elective procedures and provide other care that has been delayed since mid-March.

Health systems stopped doing procedures such as knee and hip replacements, cataract surgery and radiology tests about eight weeks ago as they prepared for a projected surge of COVID-19 patients. They also limited visits to their clinics to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Aurora Health Care, Children’s Wisconsin and other health systems are now encouraging patients to seek needed care. Hospital officials have more confidence that their intensive care units will be not be overwhelmed by an onslaught of coronavirus patients, though maintaining adequate supplies of personal protective gear, such as gloves and masks, remains a concern.

“Although COVID-19 is still in our communities, we understand individuals in our local communities have emergency and health care needs outside of COVID-19, many of which cannot be delayed or deferred without serious health risks,” Bernie Sherry, the ministry market executive for Ascension Wisconsin, said in a statement.

The shift comes during National Nurses Week, which began Wednesday and ends May 12, the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

“We don’t consider ourselves heroes necessarily in this pandemic,” said Heather Schimmers, chief nursing officer for Ascension Wisconsin. “What we consider ourselves is being called to serve in a way that this is our vocation. This is what nurses do. This is our job. This is what we do all the time.”

Unemployment woes continue

By Saturday, the State of Wisconsin was supposed to be caught up on processing the extra $600 in unemployment benefits provided by the federal government to help deal with the pandemic. But many people said they’re still waiting to get the money and it’s been nearly impossible to reach anyone at the Department of Workforce Development. 

Since March 15, the department has seen nearly 1.5 million weekly unemployment claims, totaling more than $384 million, according to department data. More than 966,000 of the claims made by May 2 have been paid out.

But half a million claims have yet to be processed — a number that doesn’t include people who haven’t even been able to file a claim, either because of struggles connecting with the department or with navigating the online application system. 

For people like Aaron Thorson of Madison, those delays have led to some tough choices.

Thorson, 23, said he was already living paycheck to paycheck while working in construction before COVID-19 hit Wisconsin. Now, after more than a month without steady work, he’s in a dire situation because his unemployment insurance still hasn’t been approved by the state. 

“I have had to embarrassingly ask my boss if he could cover a tank of gas for the week so I could try and continue making just enough money to cover rent and bills, as well as food for my wife and son,” he wrote in a submission to an online Milwaukee Journal Sentinel callout for unemployment experiences. 

“I’ve gone a few days without eating so I would have enough money to make sure they could be well fed.”

Law enforcement is not immune

The criminal justice system continues to be hit hard by the coronavirus.

Thirty-six members of the Milwaukee Police Department had tested positive as of Thursday evening, according to Sgt. Sheronda Grant. Many have recovered and returned to work, while others remain under self-isolation.

“Currently, our officers respond to over 500 known COVID-19 positive locations each week, in addition to countless traffic stops, citizen contacts and other interactions with the public that place our members at significant risk of contracting the virus,” Grant said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Department of Corrections has announced plans to test all inmates and workers at two minimum-security prisons in Milwaukee.

The testing will occur Tuesday at the work-release facilities, Felmers O. Chaney and Marshall E. Sherrer, according to a news release. People at those facilities are being tested because half of the 20 positive tests among inmates statewide so far have occurred there, the release says. The Wisconsin National Guard will assist in conducting the testing.

“Expanding testing at these two centers is the first step in DOC’s expansive testing plan to more broadly test staff and persons in our care throughout the institutions,” the release says.

Inmates at Chaney and Sherrer may have been at increased risk of coronavirus because work release programs there were allowed to continue even after the majority of work release was halted because of the pandemic, the Journal Sentinel reported last month.

As of Friday afternoon, the DOC had tested only 156 of its roughly 22,000 inmates. Among corrections staff, 24 had self-reported positive tests.

Rick Barrett, Molly Beck, Guy Boulton, Sophie Carson, John Diedrich, Laura Schulte and Joe Taschler of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.

Contact Gina Barton at (414) 224-2125 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @writerbarton. 

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