>> AS OMICRON CRUSHES THE STATE,
THE CALVARY IS ON THE WAY,
LITERALLY.
GOVERNOR TONY EVERS HAS CALLED
IN THE NATIONAL GUARD TO HELP
HOSPITALS AND NURSING HOMES AS
COVID-19 CASE COUNTS CONTINUE TO
HIT PANDEMIC HIGHS.
LATEST NUMBERS SHOW A SEVEN-DAY
AFTERNOON OF 10,985 POSITIVE
CASES IN WISCONSIN, WITH
HOSPITAL CAPACITY ON THE BRINK.
SOLDIER NURSES, TESTING MASKS
AND VACCINE CLINICS ALL BEING
DEPLOYED TO TRY TO COUNT ER THE
CRUSH.
WE'RE JOINED BY BY HEALTH
SECRETARY DESIGNEE KAREN
TIMBERLAKE FOR MORE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> IS THIS WHAT AN ALL-OUT
MITIGATION PUSH LOOKS LIKE?
>> THIS IS PART OF THE STRATEGY
WE'VE BEEN USING FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, WHICH
IS TO MATCH THE MOMENT WITH THE
RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED TO
MAKE SURE THAT WISCONSINITES
HAVE ACCESS TO THE TESTS THAT
THEY NEED, THE VACCINATIONS THAT
THEY NEED AND CERTAINLY THE
MEDICAL CARE THAT THEY NEED.
OUR NATIONAL GUARD HAS BEEN AN
AMAZING PARTNER WITH US FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC.
THEY DID SOME OF OUR FIRST
TESTING THAT WAS DONE OUT IN THE
COMMUNITY.
THEY'VE GIVEN HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF VACCINES AT THIS
POINT.
AND NOW WE ARE ASKING THEM TO
STEP UP AND HELP US BUILD
CAPACITY IN OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM BY SERVING IN OUR NURSING
HOMES AS TEMPORARY NURSE AIDES
AND CERTIFIED NURSING
ASSISTANTS.
>> HOW DOES THE GUARD SERVING IN
NURSING HOMES HELP THE
HOSPITALS?
>> YEP.
SO WHAT WE KNOW IS WE HAVE
NUMBERS OF PATIENTS WHO ARE IN
HOSPITALS TODAY READY TO BE
DISCHARGED.
THEY NO LONGER NEED A HOSPITAL
LEVEL OF CARE, THANKFULLY, BUT
THEY'RE NOT QUITE READY TO GO
HOME.
AND SO SOME OF THEM MAY NEED
SOME CARE IN A POST-ACUTE CARE
SETTING.
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT OUR NURSING
HOMES, JUST LIKE OUR HOSPITALS,
HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING REAL
STAFFING SHORTAGES DUE TO THE
PANDEMIC AND SO BY DEPLOYING THE
NATIONAL GUARD IN NURSING HOMES,
WE ACTUALLY CREATE MORE CAPACITY
IN THOSE NURSING HOMES, WE ALLOW
HOSPITALS TO DISCHARGE PATIENTS
WHO DON'T NEED TO BE IN THE
HOSPITAL ANY LONGER AND THEN WE
IMPROVE HOSPITAL CAPACITY FOR
THAT REALLY CRITICAL CARE THAT
DOES NEED TO BE PROVIDED IN A
HOSPITAL SETTING.
>> CAN WE CATCH UP TO OMICRON AT
THIS POINT?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
WHAT WE ALL CAN DO IS KEEP
OURSELVES SAFE AND KEEP OUR
FAMILY MEMBERS SAFE AND TRY TO
AVOID CATCHING OMICRON TO THE
VERY GREATEST EXTENT THAT WE
CAN.
I KNOW WE'RE IN THIS KIND OF
PUSH/PULL OF ISN'T IT A LESS
SERIOUS ILLNESS THAN DELTA WAS
OR THAN ORIGINAL COVID WAS.
THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS
IF YOU'RE FULLY VACCINATED AND
YOU'VE GOTTEN YOUR BOOSTER SHOT,
ALL THE NATIONAL DATA IS SHOWING
US THAT YOU WILL DO VERY WELL IF
YOU CONTRACT OMICRON.
IF YOU ARE NOT VACCINATED, YOU
WILL HAVE A TOUGH TIME.
AND IT IS THOSE UNVACCINATED
PEOPLE THAT WE ARE SEEING IN OUR
HOSPITALS AND THAT ARE REALLY
MAKING IT CHALLENGING FOR PEOPLE
WHO NEED OTHER KINDS OF CARE TO
GET THAT CARE.
SO THE WAY WE CATCH UP TO
OMICRON, THE WAY WE GET AHEAD OF
IT, IS BY MAKING SURE THAT WE
ALL DO WHAT WE CAN TO GET
VACCINATED, GET BOOSTED, WEAR A
GOOD-FITTING MASK AND JUST TRY
TO STAY SAFE.
>> BECAUSE AGAIN WHAT IS THE
CURRENT SITUATION WITH CASES AND
HOSPITALIZATIONS?
>> RIGHT.
THE CURRENT SITUATION WITH CASES
IS THAT WE'RE AT A RECORD HIGH
IN OUR SEVEN-DAY AVERAGE.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE CASES RISING
AT A VERY, VERY STEEP RATE.
WE KNOW THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS
ALSO ARE AT ARE A RECORD LEVEL.
AND SO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE
MORE THAN 2200 PEOPLE TODAY IN
THE HOSPITAL WITH COVID,
INCLUDING HUNDREDS -- MORE THAN
400 PEOPLE IN THE ICU, MEANS WE
HAVE FEWER THAN 5% OF HOSPITAL
BEDS OF ANY KIND ACROSS OUR
STATE THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
SO WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE CONTINUE
TO NEED OTHER KINDS OF MEDICAL
CARE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT AND
THAT IS JUST GETTING HARDER AND
HARDER FOR OUR HOSPITALS TO
PROVIDE.
SO WE SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF
OURSELVES FOR OUR OWN SAKES AND
FOR THE SAKE OF OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM.
>> MEANWHILE, THE STATE IS
DEPLOYING, I UNDERSTAND, TESTING
CAPACITY ACROSS THE STATE, BUT
IS THERE ENOUGH TESTING
AVAILABLE AND ENOUGH CAPACITY
THERE TO DELIVER TIMELY RESULTS?
>> WE HAVE FANTASTIC TESTING
CAPACITY ACROSS THE STATE.
WITH THAT SAID, WE'VE ALSO SEEN
ABOUT A 50% GROWTH IN THE NUMBER
OF CASES THAT WE ARE PROCESSING
IN ANY GIVEN WEEK SINCE JUST
EARLY NOVEMBER.
SO JUST IN THE LAST, YOU KNOW,
FOUR TO SIX WEEKS OR SO, TESTING
HAS GONE UP BY ABOUT 50%.
SO LIKE ANY OTHER SYSTEM, THAT
WILL PUT SOME STRAIN ON OUR LAB
CAPACITY AND ON OUR RESULT TIME
FRAMES.
BUT WHAT I CAN ASSURE PEOPLE IS
IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND YOU
LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY TESTING
LINK, YOU WILL FIND LOTS OF
OPTIONS.
CHECK YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY.
CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
TESTING IS AVAILABLE.
YOU MAY HAVE TO DO A LITTLE
RESEARCH.
BUT TESTING IS AVAILABLE.
AND RESULTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE
STILL TYPICALLY WITHIN ABOUT TWO
TO THREE DAYS.
>> THE CDC RECOMMENDS
HIGH-QUALITY MASKS AND YOUR
AGENCY I UNDERSTAND HAS A
STOCKPILE OF THOSE.
WHO CAN GET THEM AND ARE THERE
ENOUGH OF THOSE?
>> WE HAVE JUST RECENTLY DONE A
SURVEY WITH OUR LOCAL PUBLIC
HEALTH PARTNERS AND WITH OUR
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PERSONNEL TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME
OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND
CRITICAL SETTINGS ACROSS THE
STATE ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE
MASKS.
SO THAT CAN BE LONG-TERM CARE
SETTINGS, THAT CAN BE SCHOOLS,
THAT CAN BE AFTERSCHOOL
PROVIDERS.
WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE EASY
ACCESS TO A HIGH-QUALITY MASK
CAN GET ONE FROM THOSE STATE
SUPPLIES AND I'D ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO CHECK IN WITH LOCAL
PUBLIC HEALTH AND COUNTY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THOSE
MORE LOCAL PLANS.
>> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE,
BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR