APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — Hospital systems in the Fox Valley are the latest to sound the alarm over the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Ascension Health, Aurora Health Care, and Thedacare were the latest to speak the media on Monday. Frank Mellon is Thedacare’s Senior Innovation Executive and says half of the Fox Valley could wind up catching the virus if predictions hold.
“It’s a different kind of virus,” Mellon said. “Very transmissible. Maybe not as dangerous, but with those kinds of volumes, it causes a lot of impact on our system.”
Mellon doesn’t believe the Omicron variant has yet hit its peak.
“We expect to see nearly 2,000 cases a day in this region by January 17th,” said Mellon. “That’s a very large number.”
The good news, as mentioned by other health systems in similar briefings, as well as the state of Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, is that the Omicron variant does appear to be less severe than previous variants. Hospital stays, when required, are shorter with Omicron than they were with the Delta variant.
The transmissibility, combined with the lower severity rate, is leading medical professionals to believe the current surge might not last long.
“The hope for all of us is that we will see this decline quickly,” said Lynn Detterman, Thedacare South’s Senior Vice President. “So this is a short lived surge, but we can’t wait for that to happen. We need your help now.”
Officials stressed, again, that they want to see more vaccinations, indoor masks, and booster shots.
“You should really anticipate that any public place you go to is a place where COVID is present and may be transmitted,” said Winnebago County Health Department Officer Doug Gieryn.
Around one in every 20 newly reported infections among those 65 and older wind up in the hospital, around one in 100 of those are fatal, according to Detterman.
Statewide, 91% of hospital beds are in use, and nearly 95% of ICU beds.
A previous version of this story mentioned that one in every 20 newly reported infections wind up in the hospital. Thedacare has since clarified with WTAQ that these statistics are for those 65 and older.
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