Wisconsin, other midwest hospitals facing new COVID surge

Nearly 2 years into the pandemic, hospitals in the Midwest are getting hit with a staggering new surge.

Capacity is strained, and so is staff. And no one knows for sure what the Omicron variant will bring.

Hospitals in states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, which have recently seen some of the nation's highest numbers of new COVID-19 cases, are facing dire conditions yet again in the latest wave no one wished they would see. As a result, there is fear about what the coming months may mean for frontline workers and patients, as well as other hospitals across the U.S.

What we are experiencing is unprecedented," Hsieng Su, MD, senior vice president and chief medical executive at Minneapolis-based Allina Health, told MedPage Today.

There is an increasing number of patients, not just because of COVID, she added. Some of the surge has been caused by care that was delayed due to the pandemic.

"These patients that we are seeing in our hospitals and clinics are extremely sick," she noted. The lengths of stay are longer than before the pandemic, and there is also a staffing shortage. "It is very similar to the 'Great Resignation' that we are facing with other industries as well."

However, the healthcare industry may be the hardest hit, Su pointed out. "This is a very prolonged pandemic, and everyone is working so hard at maximum capacity." ...

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