Medical centers more prepared for 2nd wave of COVID-19, experts say
A second wave of increasing COVID-19 cases is hitting Wisconsin and Illinois hard. But health experts say this wave of the virus is different in many ways.
"We’re seeing numbers that were not even imaginable weeks ago," Robert Citronberg said.
With COVID-19 cases surging again, Advocate Aurora Health experts look at the different factors surrounding the pandemic this time around.
"The first wave was really concentrated on urban areas the second wave is urban, suburban, rural there’s really no areas of the county that has been spared," he said.
The chief officer of Aurora Medical Group says the medical centers have the highest level of inpatients since the start of the pandemic.
In the spring, PPE and medical equipment was low, but Advocate Aurora Health officials say there is an adequate supply of PPE for all staff now.
"Ventilators are not short we have an adequate supply mostly because our critical care doctors have done an amazing job keeping people off ventilators," Citronberg said.
But why the trend of increasing positive cases?
"I think we were lulled into the sense that this pandemic is over and we got caught with our guard down because the temperatures got cooler dryer we moved indoors but our behaviors didn’t change," he said.
While the next few months might be tough, health officials say the news of a possible vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel.
"I think by June of next year we could have 5,6,7 vaccines available which will really help us to cover the population," he said.
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