ICU Beds Run Out Again In Wisconsin As Hospitals Near Capacity

WISCONSIN — Wisconsinites being treated for the long-term and severe effects of COVID-19 have again filled up ICU beds in different Wisconsin regions, and hospitals reported an influx of patients at a level near the peak of November 2020.

There were no intensive care unit beds available in western Wisconsin, and other regions reported availability dwindled to single digits Monday, the Wisconsin Hospital Association reported.

Some 2,259 COVID-19 patients were admitted to 139 hospitals across the state Monday — only 18 fewer than the 2,277 peak that hospitals saw in November 2020.

Here are the ICU beds available in Wisconsin as of Tuesday.

• Western: 0 of 36.
• Southeast: 30 of 549.
• South Central: 18 of 260.
• Northwest: 3 of 72.
• Northeast: 8 of 207.
• North Central: 5 of 125.
• Fox Valley: 2 of 104.

A percentage of people who come down with COVID-19 will need hospitalization or intensive care. If the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads further, it will overwhelm health systems, Dr. Ben Weston, the city of Milwaukee's chief health advisor, said in a news conference. "And the people that need health systems are everyone," he added.

Some 12,305 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Tuesday, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The seven-day average for cases is now 9,696 new cases per day.

The United States had a record 1,343,167 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, which blew past the previous record of 1,044,970 cases on Jan. 3, NBC News reported.

The rise of hospitalizations affected health systems and businesses across the state. Advocate Aurora Health temporarily closed three of its urgent care centers in southeast Wisconsin, and Wauwatosa-based spice retailer Penzeys Spices, with 12 Wisconsin locations, closed to indoor shopping until hospitalizations come down.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was still the best way to fight the spread of the disease, state and federal health officials said. As of Tuesday, 58.5 percent of Wisconsinites had completed a vaccine series, according to state health services data.

State health services recruited 567 health care workers on Thursday to staff 72 health and residential care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes across the state to relieve some of the burden on such workers.

Health services will search for ways to support health systems and providers that become short staffed, health services Deputy Secretary Deb Standridge said in a statement.