Editor’s note: The following was contributed by the Gundersen Health System.
We are facing a dire situation together. Gundersen Health System hospitals are at or near capacity with patients struggling with Covid-19 and other serious illnesses and injuries.
If we do not get Covid-19 under control here, Gundersen will struggle to provide hospital care and services for Covid and non-Covid patients alike. Please help us control the spread of Covid-19 and ease stress on our hospitals and staff.
Covid patient care
Gundersen providers are now caring for 40 to 50 patients with Covid-19 daily, most of them in our La Crosse hospital. About 80% of those patients are unvaccinated. Since the start of the pandemic, Gundersen has cared for about 2,100 people hospitalized with Covid-19. This includes more than 850 patients since July 1, 2021, and more than 1,200 patients since Jan. 1, 2021. Looking nationally, more than 125,000 new Covid cases being reported every day, and more than 1,000 Americans are dying every day from Covid, according to the CDC.
Omicron variant
In just a month, the Covid-19 Omicron variant has spread across the world and has been detected here at home. This variant is more contagious than previous strains, and Gundersen is expecting Omicron to cause a surge of patients this winter. To protect yourself and others against Omicron, the best defense is to receive the maximum number of vaccine doses allowable for your age and risk group.
Share this with family, friends and neighbors:
Vaccination — both Covid, including boosters if eligible, and flu shots — is the best defense against serious illness and hospitalization. Gundersen also asks everyone to mask and distance indoors in public, stay home when you are sick, and wash hands frequently to help prevent the spread of viruses.
Covid vaccine is available for everyone eligible
Anyone age 18 and older can schedule their own Covid vaccine appointment at Gundersen on MyChart, by calling (608) 775-6829, or by calling the Gundersen location closest to home. Gundersen is also offering Pfizer Covid vaccine to anyone age 5 and older and boosters of Pfizer vaccine to anyone age 16 and older. (Pfizer is the only Covid-19 vaccine available to those age 17 and younger.) Parents or guardians can schedule kids’ appointments by calling (608) 775-6829. Walk-ins are also welcomed. (Note: Booster appointments for those ages 16 and 17 cannot currently be scheduled through MyChart. This will be available Jan. 4, 2022.)
Visit gundersenhealth.org/vaccine to learn how to get vaccinated.
Please help us. Please get vaccinated.
