>> COVID 19 INFECTIONS ARE
EXPLODING IN WISCONSIN WITH
RECORD HIGH DAILY CASE NUMBERS
TOPPING 12,000.
THE MOST SINCE THE START OF THE
PANDEIC.
THE HIGHLY INFECTIOUS OMICRON
VARIANT IS BLAMED FOR THE
EXPLOSIVE INFECTION RATE.
IT'S REPORTED TO CAUSE LESS
SEVERE SYMPTOMS BUT THE SHEER
CASE COUNT IS STARTING TO HOBBLE
SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS.
WHAT IS THE LATEST IN WISCONSIN
ON COVID 19?
FOR THAT WE TURN TO DR. JEFFREY
POTHOF, THE CHIEF QUALITY AND
SAFETY OFFICER FOR UNV WEALTH,
ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE STATE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHAT IS THE CURRENT SITUATION
WITH YOUR HOSPITAL?
>> YOU KNOW, I WISH I COULD
PAINT YOU A NICE PICTURE BUT
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN A REALLY
ROUGH SPOT.
OUR NUMBER OF COVID 19
ADMISSIONS HAS INCREASED
DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST WEEK
AND A HALF TO TWO WEEKS.
WE'RE TEETERING WITH THOSE
RECORD VOLUMES WE HAD LAST
THANKSGIVING.
TO MAKE FURTHER -- OR TO MAKE
MATTERS FURTHER WORSE, OUR
HOSPITAL WAS ALREADY MORE FULL
TO START WITH.
AND OUR STAFF, ALTHOUGH THAIK
THANKFULLY VACCINATED, ARE
HAVING BREAKTHROUGH CASES MAKING
OUR STAFFING PROBLEMS EVEN
WORSE.
SO WE'RE IN A SITUATION WHERE
THERE ARE FOLKS AROUND THE STATE
CALLING US AND SAYING, CAN YOU
TAKE MY PATIENT?
THEY'RE COMPLEX.
YOU HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO DO
WITH THEIR PROBLEM.
AND WE CANNOT SAFELY TAKE THEM.
THEY HAVE TO WAIT WHERE THEY'RE
AT OR FIND A DIFFERENT HOSPITAL
TO TAKE THEM.
WE CANNOT TAKE THAT NEXT PATIENT
>> THAT IS EXTREMELY SCARY, OF
COURSE, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO NEED
THE SERVICES OF THE HOSPITAL FOR
THINGS LIKE STROKE OR HEART
ATTACK.
TELL US WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH
THAT.
>> YEAH.
SO YOU KNOW, WHAT WE TRY TO DO
WHEN WE CAN'T TAKE PATIENTS
PHYSICALLY TO OUR LOCATION IS WE
PROVIDE AS MANY RESOURCES AS WE
CAN TO THOSE PATIENTS WHERE THEY
ARE, WHETHER THAT'S OUR EXPERTS
AVAILABLE BY TELE HEALTH,
WHETHER THAT'S COORDINATING WITH
OTHER HEALTH SYSTEMS ACROSS THE
STATE, EVEN OUTSIDE THE STATE TO
HELP FIND THAT NEXT BED,
PROVIDING OUR HELICOPTERS TO
PROMOTE TRANSPORTS TO FAR AWAY
HOSPITALS THAT MIGHT HAVE A
ROOM.
WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE THAT BUT
ULTIMATELY WHAT THAT MEANS IS
THAT FOLKS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD
GET A DIFFERENT STANDARD OF CARE
ARE GETTING A LITTLE BIT LESS
THAN THAT.
FOLKS DOING THE BEST THAT THEY
CAN BUT UNLESS WE CAN REDUCE
HOSPITALIZATIONS IN THE STATE,
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE BEST WE
CAN DO RIGHT NOW.
>> YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT
THESE SYMPTOMS OF THE OMICRON
VARIANT, COVID 19 ARE LESS
SEVERE AND YET, YOUR
HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE UP
DRAMATICALLY, YOU SAY.
IS THAT JUST AS A RESULT OF THE
SHEER NUMBER OF INFECTIONS?
>> IT IS.
AND I THINK THERE'S A BIT OF A
MISUNDERSTANDING.
WHEN FOLKS HEAR THAT OMICRON IS
LESS SEVERE, I THINK THEY THINK
IT'S MORE LIKE A COLD.
IT DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE SICK.
WHY ARE HOSPITALS WORRIED?
THAT'S NOT WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE
SAY LESS SEVERE.
WHEN WE SAY LESS SEVERE, WE MEAN
IF YOU TAKE 100 PEOPLE AND YOU
GIVE THEM OMICRON, A LOWER% ENTS
OF THOSE PEOPLE WILL NEED A
HOSPITAL BED BUT IT'S NOT TO SAY
OMICRON CANNOT CAUSE SEVERE
DISEASE.
WHEN YOU TAKE THE EXTRA CASES
WE'RE SEEING, OMICRON IS SO MUCH
MORE CONTAGIOUS, WE'RE ACTUALLY
SEEING AN INCREASE IN
HOSPITALIZATIONS DESPITE OMICRON
BEING LESS SEVERE IN GENERAL.
>> WHAT IS THIS LIKE FOR THE
STAFF THERE ON THE FRONT LINES?
>> IT'S DIFFICULT.
YOU CAN IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A LOT OF STAFF THAT ARE OUT
EITHER GETTING TESTED OR THEY'VE
TESTED POSITIVE.
THEY WANT TO GET BACK TO WORK.
WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM ON THAT.
THEY'RE TYPICALLY NOT OVERLY
SICK, THEY'RE ALL VACCINATED BUT
THAT MEANS THOSE HEALTH CARE
WORKERS WHO ARE LEFT ARE WORKING
MORE SHIFTS AND COMING BACK
QUICKER TO DO ANOTHER SHIFT AND
STRETCHING THEMSELVES A LITTLE
MORE THIN.
AND YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THIS
PANDEMIC, THESE HEALTH CARE
WORKERS HAVE BEEN HEROS AND THEY
CONTINUE TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE
BUT IT'S HARD AND WE'VE LOST A
LOT OF PEOPLE TO BURNOUT BECAUSE
THERE'S JUST ONLY SO MUCH YOU
CAN EXPECT OF A HUMAN BEING.
THIS PANDEMIC HAS CERTAINLY NOT
BEEN SHORT.
>> HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS IN YOUR CAREER?
>> NOT ONLY HAVE I NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS, THIS WASN'T
EVEN ON MY RADAR GOING THROUGH
MEDICAL TRAINING.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST WELL
RESOURCED HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS IN
THE ENTIRE WORLD, AND TO THINK
WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE PEOPLE
WHO NEED CARE FOR THINGS LIKE
HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, MIGHT
NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT, THAT
NEVER CROSSED MY MIND WHEN I WAS
GOING THROUGH MEDICAL TRAINING
THAT THAT WOULD BE THE SCENARIO
WHERE I WORK.
>> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE READ THAT
IT IS THE UNVACCINATED THAT ARE
TAKING UP THE BULK OF THE
HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR COVID 19.
IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> IT'S DEFINITELY ACCURATE.
YOU KNOW, WE DO SEE MORE
BREAKTHROUGH CASES WITH OMICRON.
THEY OFTEN DON'T GET ADMITTED.
WHEN THEY GET ADMITTED, IT'S
OFTEN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, A
DAY, TO DAYS.
BUT
BUT THE UNVACCINATED MAKE UP
THE MAJORITY OF CASES IN THE
HOSPITAL AND THEY DON'T STAY FOR
ONE DAY OR TWO DAY.
SOMETIMES IT'S MONTHS ON HIGH
END THERAPIES THAT TAKE A LOT OF
OUR ROOM UP AND A LOT OF OUR
STAFF RESOURCES UP AND IF WE
COULD REDUCE THAT, WE WOULD MAKE
THESE OTHER THINGS FIT.
FOLKS IN THE STATE WOULDN'T HAVE
TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT A
HOSPITAL IS GOING TO BE READY
FOR THEM WHEN THEY SUFFER THEIR
MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
>> IS IT YOUR EXPECTATION THAT
THIS OMICRON WILL BURN QUICKLY
THROUGH THE POPULATION AND WE
COULD COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE
TO QUIETER DAYS?
>> I HOPE THAT IS THE SILVER
LINING.
THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE THEY HAD
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
I'M HOPEFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS
GOES ON FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS AND
THEN THINGS START TO TAPER DOWN
AND GET A LITTLE MORE BACK TO
NORMAL.
OR MAYBE LIKE WE WERE THIS
SUMMER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE
A ROUGH COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE
WE GET THERE.
I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT
PERIOD OF TIME.
>> GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND ALL OF
YOU THERE PROVIDING CARE,
DR. JEFFREY POTHOF.