COVID-19 hospitalizations at rate not seen in several months
The vast majority of Wisconsin hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.
The vast majority of Wisconsin hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.
The vast majority of Wisconsin hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.
Doctors across Wisconsin are seeing an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Continuing Coverage: Coronavirus in Wisconsin
An Aurora infectious disease doctor said he was concerned with what they're seeing.
COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide are at their highest in more than two months.
The use of intensive care beds is raising an even greater alarm.
There are 310 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wisconsin.
That's the most in nearly three months.
"We have gone up by I would say tenfold maybe over the last two to three weeks in terms of hospitalizations and ICU as well," Dr. Minhaj U. Husain said.
He is seeing first-hand what the state numbers are showing across Wisconsin.
"It is definitely concerning," Husain said. "We have seen a lot more inpatients and a lot sicker people and many younger people coming in so it is definitely concerning. The trend, I don't like the trend."
That trend has pushed ICU beds to 91% capacity in southeastern Wisconsin.
While hospitalizations are still far below their peak of more than 2,000 a day last November, the number of new positive cases continues to rise.
"I think it's the trajectory," said UW Health's Dr. Nasia Safdar. "If it stays where it's here now and then goes down, then I think that will be fine. But we can't predict that, and we don't know, and that's how all things start. They start with an increase and then it escalates. And so that's why there's the concern there is."
Milwaukee's Director of Emergency Medicine said COVID-19 hospitalizations in southeast Wisconsin have increased more than six-fold in the past month.
"Now is the time to get vaccinated," Dr. Ben Weston said.
Given the rise in seriously ill COVID-19 patients, doctors have some specific recommendations for everyone.
First, they recommend everyone gets vaccinated as soon as possible.
The vast majority of hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.
Secondly, Husain advised wearing a mask at indoor public places at least for the next few months.
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