WISCONSIN, USA — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported 27 new COVID deaths Wednesday, the most in one day since the pandemic started.
Cases overall have been going up steadily for the last two to three weeks as well.
State health officials say a concerning amount of COVID patients are also ending up in the hospital.
The northwest region of the state had a 79% increase in new hospitalizations over the last two weeks.
"We're definitely seeing an uptick in positive cases,” River Falls Area Hospital President Helen Strike says.
Strike says her hospital isn't in danger of exceeding capacity right now, but she worries what might happen in the coming weeks.
"I think all of us are wondering about what flu season will look like. We're encouraging flu shots earlier than we have before," Strike says.
Dr. Ken Johnson, an emergency room physician at HSHS Sacred Heart in Eau Claire, says they’re also seeing a concerning increase in new cases in their region as well.
He says one factor is students going back to school.
River Falls and Eau Claire are both college towns.
However, Dr. Johnson says an even bigger factor is residents are growing tired of the virus and are beginning to let their guard down.
"People are growing fatigued of staying at home, especially missing the nice Wisconsin summer, and are beginning to be a little more lax about meeting in groups, masks, things like that. It’s concerning,” Dr. Johnson says.
Strike agrees, unless people change their behavior, Wisconsin will continue to see some of the highest numbers in the nation for many weeks to come.
"We're all tired of it, but unfortunately this is when we have to dig deep, and do the very best we can. We're all in it together,” Strike says.
Due to the spike in cases, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the agency will release new sets of data to help residents better understand the situation in Wisconsin.
Included in that data is new information about hospitalizations and hospital capacity.
The statewide capacity rate is sitting around 82% in Wisconsin, which Spike says sounds high, but she says most hospitals normally operate around 80%.
She says the trick, however, is keeping that rate low while still offering other health services to the community.
Hospital administrators say hospitals are filling up fast, partially because of elective procedures, but if COVID cases continue to climb, hospitals might have to put those on hold to free up beds.