MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — In an effort to alleviate hospital staffing shortages in the wake of the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge, state officials have partnered with Madison College to train hundreds of Wisconsin National Guard members as nursing assistants.
Governor Tony Evers made that announcement Thursday. It’s expected to help staff around 200 hospital beds.
“I believe we’re initially planning on 200 National Guardspeople,” Evers said. “They have to go through training..at the end of February, those 200 people will be deployed.”
The move comes as over 2,200 Wisconsinites are hospitalized with the virus, with 488 in the ICU.
The state reported 13,004 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, a pandemic record. The seven-day average of new cases rose to a record-high 9,915.
While new cases were up, the seven-day average of deaths went down, standing at 24. There were 19 deaths reported on Wednesday.
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