No ICU Beds In Several Wisconsin Regions Amid COVID-19 Patient Surge

WISCONSIN — Intensive care unit beds have completely filled up in several Wisconsin regions while others dwindled to single digits, data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association showed Friday.

Patients being treated for COVID-19 or long-term coronavirus effects have filled the available ICU capacity, health officials said.

The northern, western and Fox Valley regions of Wisconsin have no ICU beds available, association data showed. There were a total of 53 ICU beds available in the state.

Following were the number of ICU beds available in every Wisconsin region as of Friday.

• Western: 0 of 36.
• Southeast: 30 of 549.
• South Central: 14 of 260.
• Northwest: 0 of 72.
• Northeast: 8 of 207.
• North Central: 1 of 103.
• Fox Valley: 0 of 104.

Hospitals in the northeast region saw nearly 20 percent of their hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, some in isolation and some dealing with long-term effects, Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health, said in a news conference.

"No health care system is designed to have 20 percent extra capacity sitting there waiting for something," Rai said. Winter months bring more dramatic accidents and serious conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, which require ICU space.

A Green Bay hospital had to refuse 28 patients, including some stroke victims, Rai said. "This wouldn't happen if we had those beds and staff available to take care of them, which are now being occupied by COVID-19 patients."

One COVID-19 patient in a hospital can use up three beds' worth of hospital staff who would otherwise help someone with a regular disease. "That 20 percent is becoming much more exponential for us."

So far, more than 9,000 Wisconsinites have lost their lives to the coronavirus, Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said at a news conference.

Wisconsin health officials were dealing with delta variant cases as new omicron cases start to show up, Dr. Ben Weston of the Medical College of Wisconsin said in a separate news conference.

On Wednesday, 3,879 people in Wisconsin tested positive for the coronavirus amid the delta wave, health services data showed. The seven-day positive test rate across the state was 13.4 percent, which is as high as it was in November 2020.

The omicron variant has been detected in five states so far: California, Minnesota, Colorado, New York and Hawaii. Health officials said the best way to brace for the new variant is to get vaccinated.

"Our vaccines have been effective against every variant we've seen so far, and will likely have a pretty good protection against this one as well," Weston said. "So getting vaccinated and getting boosted is the best way to prepare and to protect yourselves and your families."