MADISON (NBC 26) -- As the COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park opens, Wisconsin health officials reported 3,107 new cases of coronavirus in the state.
The state Department of Health Services reported 28 new deaths related to COVID-19 on Wednesday. Additionally, the number of people ever hospitalized rose to 8,754, an increase of 153.
The total number of confirmed cases in Wisconsin is now 158,578. The percentage of those cases listed as recovered fell slightly to 79.1%. There are currently 31,595 active cases in the state.
Health officials say the number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 is at an "all time high."
The COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park was set up by the Army Corps of Engineers back in April to handle any surge of coronavirus patients, but hasn’t been needed until now.
The State Department of Health made the call to open the facility last week after a continued surge in cases. The facility will take as many as 50 patients from hospitals around the state and could take 500 more in the weeks to come if needed.
The State Fair Park Alternate Care Facility is not a walk-in facility. Patients there will be transferred from other facilities across the state.
Tom Durian with TMJ4 contributed to this report.