Wisconsin health officials are now reporting 18,836 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. Department of Health Services officials say, however, it’s hard to predict when the latest surge of the virus will peak. At an afternoon news briefing, Dr. Ryan Westergaard with the DHS Bureau of Communicable diseases says the spread of the omicron variant shows how difficult it is to make projections.
There’s also good news on the coronavirus battle front. National Guard medical personnel are making progress in helping health care centers, like Bellin Hospitals, free-up bed space. DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake says the help from the guard and reserves has allowed long-term patients to move into more appropriate treatment settings.
Timberlake expects those number to improve as more national guard personnel graduate from the certified nursing assistants program at Madison College. They’re expected to be deployed in state health care center in February.
