For the Tomahawk Leader
WISCONSIN – In a release from Wednesday, Jan. 19, Aspirus Health discussed the omicron COVID-19 variant’s impact on its healthcare system.
“The latest chapter in the COVID-19 pandemic is being written by the omicron variant, and it extends beyond the walls of our hospitals,” Aspirus stated. “The latest surge and demand for COVID-19 testing, combined with increased levels of other seasonal illness such as influenza, is significantly impacting outpatient settings, such as family health clinics and emergency departments.”
Aspirus said omicron has “taken over as the dominant variant” and is “fueling increased volumes in emergency department and outpatient settings,” citing data from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“We have been seeing very high volumes of patients that have been coming to us for either COVID testing or treatment of COVID-related symptoms,” said Andrea Allard, Aspirus Vice President of Operations for Aspirus Medical Group. “We saw a significant spike right around the week of Christmas and we’ve really maintained those high volumes.”
The number of COVID-19 tests administered since Jan. 1 has at least doubled across all clinics in the Aspirus Health system compared to the last two weeks in December, according to the release. Aspirus also saw a 62% increase in COVID-19 tests administered between Dec. 1, 2021 and Jan. 16, 2022, compared to the same period the previous year.
“This is causing us to dedicate more resources to COVID-19,” Allard stated. “At the same time, we’re facing the same staffing challenges as everyone else. So, we continue to need to do more with less.”
Aspirus said patients can help alleviate the stress on outpatient clinics and emergency departments by utilizing the MyAspirus app to access test results, schedule E-Visits and manage appointments.
Patients are also asked to only go to an emergency department if they need emergent care.
“Be kind, be patient,” Allard said. “We are really doing our best to make sure that we rise up and meet the needs of our patients.”
Information on COVID-19 vaccinations, booster shots, scheduling information and more is available via the online Aspirus COVID-19 Resource Center at www.aspirus.org/covid-19-vaccineinfo.
