Wisconsin turning state fairgrounds into COVID-19 hospital as virus overruns state
Wisconsin is turning the state fairgrounds into a COVID-19 field hospital as the virus overruns its health system, officials say.
Gov. Tony Evers announced Wednesday an “alternate care facility” will open at the Wisconsin State Fair Park and start accepting patients within a week. State officials cited record surges in coronavirus patient hospitalizations in a news release.
“We hoped this day wouldn’t come, but unfortunately, Wisconsin is in a much different, more dire place today and our healthcare systems are beginning to become overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases,” Evers said in the news release.
More than 850 residents were hospitalized as of Tuesday, an increase of 71 from a day before, officials said. Over 1,400 have died of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, according to Johns Hopkins University.
“Our hospital system is strained and in some areas of the state reaching capacity and at risk of being overwhelmed,” Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said in the news release. “And as COVID-19 cases rise, hospitals across the state are experiencing critical staffing shortages – largely due to staff members experiencing infection or exposure to the virus in their communities.”
The temporary hospital can hold up to 530 patients, including nearly 300 spaces equipped with in-line oxygen.
Wisconsin has turned into a “hot spot” in the last month with the third most new cases per capita over the past couple of weeks, the Associated Press reported.
Evers, a Democrat, and the GOP-controlled state Legislature have fought over the response to the pandemic, including conservative groups aligned with Republican leaders likely to challenge the governor’s crowd capacity limit, NBC News reported.
“Wisconsin has become the poster child for how things can go wrong,” Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin political science professor, told the news outlet.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Wisconsin turning state fairgrounds into COVID-19 hospital as virus overruns state."