GREEN BAY, Wis.— Health officials and hospital leaders in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley continue to urge the public to practice social distancing, wear masks, and follow all safety guidelines to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases they say is threatening the stability of the region’s healthcare systems. 

“It is very difficult to stay home, not go out, not see friends, not go out to see the football game with 20 people,” says Dr. Mark Cockley, chief medical officer for ThedaCare. “It’s very difficult to do that right now because we’re very social people, but I think for the long term it is better if we persevere through that.”

Cockley is echoing the same message hospital executives throughout the state are sending to the masses. 

Last week, ThedaCare president end CEO Dr. Imran Andrabi reported the system’s beds had reached 95% capacity.

It’s a similar story at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. President and CEO Matt Heywood says that beds designated for COVID-19 cases have almost filled up. He says the system is also struggling to staff facilities because of the pandemic. 

“We have a large number of staff who’ve gotten sick as well and are out, so we have to be cognizant that this is not purely a bed situation but also requires a lot from our staff,” Heywood says.

He reported between 115 and 150 staff were not working after falling ill. They’re being tested for COVID-19, according to Heywood.

Back in the Fox Valley, Winnebago County Health Department director and health officer Doug Gieryn has been busy trying to manage the pandemic.

“Nationwide right now, we are the hotspot and we’re certainly feeling it,” Gieryn says. “We’ve roughly, almost every age group, almost have of the cases that we’ve had since March occurred in the last two weeks. We’ve been doubling cases on a pretty routine basis for the last month.”

Gieryn says he fears the statistics will only worsen in the coming weeks no matter if the public follows safety guidelines.

“Oh, we know they’ll get worse before they get better,” he says. “We are on a very very rapid escalation of cases.”

Gieryn, Heywood, and Cockley say the public needs to change its behavior by ceasing large and small gatherings until the numbers come back down.