MADISON, Wis. (AP) — More than 1,000 people have died in Wisconsin since the coronavirus pandemic began in the state six months ago, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported Tuesday.

There were 61,785 confirmed cases and 1,006 deaths as of Tuesday, the state reported. That death count is the 28th highest in the country overall and the 37th highest per capita at just over 17 deaths per 100,000 people.

Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has decreased just over 10%.

There were 200 new cases per 100,000 people in Wisconsin over the past two weeks, which ranks 20th in the country for new cases per capita. Milwaukee County had nearly half of all the state’s deaths with 459, based on state Department of Health data.

The grim milestone of deaths comes as schools and universities are grappling with whether to hold in-person classes starting in September. The Big Ten announced Tuesday that it won’t play football this fall because of concerns about COVID-19, becoming the first of college sports’ power conferences to yield to the pandemic.

A statewide mask mandate designed to slow the spread of the virus took effect Aug. 1. Republican state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said he wants the Legislature to kill the order.