State Business Leaders Hear Bleak Update Regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic

Thursday, November 12th, 2020 -- 11:06 AM

(AP) -The only way to stop the coronavirus pandemic from getting even worse in Wisconsin is to “triple down,” individually and collectively, on public health measures, the state’s business leaders learned in a bleak update Wednesday.

Wisconsin once again set records for new daily positive cases, deaths and hospitalizations on Tuesday. The surge, which began in September, came as the U.S. hit a record number of coronavirus hospitalizations Tuesday and surpassed 1 million new confirmed cases in just the first 10 days of November.  “We really know what works, we just need to do it and we all need to do it,” said Dr. Mark Kaufman, chief medical officer for the Wisconsin Hospital Association, at a virtual meeting of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. “We can flatten the curve, but right now that’s the only way we will flatten the curve.”  That means wearing masks, keeping a social distance, avoiding gathering particularly indoors, and frequently washing hands, Kaufman said. His message, which public health leaders have been making since the pandemic began nine months ago, was also echoed by Gov. Tony Evers in an unusual prime-time speech Tuesday urging Wisconsin residents to work together to fight the virus.

“We need to triple down on following public health measures we know will work and if we do that, we will slow the pandemic,” Kaufman said. “And if we don’t do that, it will continue to get worse.”  Kaufman described hospitals struggling as they reach capacity without adequate staffing. The state has set a new record for daily hospitalizations every day since Nov. 2, hitting 2,070 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals on Tuesday.  Wisconsin is doing much worse than its peers and is not flattening the curve, Kaufman said. He blamed that on a variety of factors.

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