State to ask for help as COVID-19 surges; Dane County activity among lowest

As COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin grow and hospitals fill, officials in the state are planning to ask for federal help to staff hospitals and nursing homes, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services plans to ask for up to five Federal Emergency Management Agency teams of about 20 people each. A recent update from the Wisconsin Hospital Association stated 1,611 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, 97% of intensive care beds are occupied, and 98% of intermediate care beds are occupied. The organization stated some hospitals are turning patients away. In Dane County on Dec. 8, there were 118 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 123 on Friday, Dec. 3, but higher than most of this year. Statewide, 19 counties had critically high COVID-19 activity, all in the central or northern part of the state. Dane County recorded the second-lowest activity and has the second-highest rate of residents and adults having at least one dose of vaccine.