WISCONSIN—  Four northeast Wisconsin doctors said hospitals are filling up with COVID-19 patients and their medical teams are working long hours to ensure every patient who needs care can get it. As the pandemic roars on past the nine-month mark, those on the panel expressed their frustration, too.

“When people say to me, ‘I’m really tired of hearing about COVID,’ I always say, ‘You’re not half as tired of hearing about COVID as I am,’” said Dr. James Heise, the chief medical officer at Door County Medical Center.

Heise offered a clear warning ahead of Thanksgiving about the danger of spreading COVID-19 even in small gatherings.

“Don’t let Thanksgiving dinner become the Last Supper,” Heise said. “That kind of puts it down to brass tacks.”

Still, doctors know that some simply will not listen, and like the weeks after other 2020 holidays, doctors are preparing to handle even steeper spikes in cases after Thanksgiving.

“It’s been a lot of physical and emotional strain,” said Dr. Manar Alshahrouri, a Prevea Health pulmonologist. “We’re doing well, but we are at near capacity, and it’s wearing down on us, without a doubt.”

According to Dr. Paul Casey at Bellin Health, misinformation about the virus on social media, combined with some refusing to wear masks, has made the situation much worse.

“That shouldn’t be an issue,” Casey said. “We have to all wear masks until these vaccines become available if we’re going to prevent a dramatic rise in deaths.”