MILWAUKEE — COVID-19 patients are filling Wisconsin hospitals, forcing doctors to transfer patients to other facilities and build waiting lists as the disease surges across the state.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that hospitals in Green Bay, Wausau and the Fox Valley are being overwhelmed.
Officials at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay say their facility is at 94% capacity.
Aspirus Healthcare President and CEO Matthew Heywood says the Wausau hospital has seen a 30% jump in COVID-19 patients between Monday and Tuesday.
The head of the Wisconsin Hospital Association spoke during a Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce webinar on Wednesday. Wisconsin is currently number 3 in the country in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
"They are implementing previously formulated contingency plans. All hospitals have this. But they are now tightly managing scheduled admissions and sometimes deferring needed care that is not COVID," said Dr. Mark Kaufman.
Kaufman also said that if the state kept heading in the current direction, the economy would only get worse, especially for small business owners who are hit harder by outbreaks.