COVID-19 surge stretches Wisconsin hospitals to the limit

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — With COVID-19 surging in Wisconsin, health care leaders say their hospitals across the state are at or near capacity.

The seven-day average for new infections in Wisconsin is more than 3,500, which is the highest it’s been in a year, according to state health officials.

“We are full. Period,” said Eric Conley, CEO of Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital. “It’s really impacting, impeding care for those patients who are not COVID that need the care getting in because getting to our beds is just very, very hard.”

Hospital administrators say they have had to turn some patients away even when they needed emergency care.

According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association COVID-19 dashboard, there were 1,630 people in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon. That’s an increase of 212 over the past week. More than 400 of those patients are in intensive care units, which are in short supply, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

“Unfortunately, it’s not looking good and I don’t think it’s looking good for anybody across the state or even across state lines. Our ICUs are pretty much full,” said Dr. Imran Andrabi, CEO of ThedaCare.

Hospitals in the Fox Valley and north central Wisconsin report having only one or two intensive care unit beds available.

Hospitals in the northwestern and western part of the state reported having no ICU availability. And in southeastern Wisconsin, the number of available beds was cut in half from 30 on Monday to 15 on Tuesday.