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EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin (WEAU) – Another 277 Wisconsinites were hospitalized Wednesday due to COVID-19, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Many hospitals across the state are at or near capacity with the recent increase in cases.
For three years, Sam Pitts worked as a registered nurse at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, currently working in the intensive care unit.
She says she never imagined her career would look like the past eight months.
“We used to watch it in New York and Europe and it was hard to think how it was going to happen here. No, we live quite far apart in New York, they are so close to each other. And it’s here and it’s very scary, ”Pitts said.
Wisconsin is in the midst of its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date.
Health officials say local hospitals are aware of what has long been feared – that more people with the virus are being hospitalized.
“Every day here is different,” says Pitts. “It’s one thing to be a nurse, you never know what you’re going to get into, but in the intensive care unit, things can change so drastically. This is one of the most important things we have seen with COVID patients, their oxygen needs are changing dramatically.
About 30 nurses are currently working at the CCU at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital.
Healthcare professionals are still struggling to understand the virus while treating more and more patients.
“Each patient is so different and the virus seems to attack people differently. So we’re going to try something with someone and it’s like so good, remember when it worked, let’s try again. It’s this collaborative approach that everyone is working together, ”Pitts said.
She says that one of the hardest parts for her is not being able to let family members at the CCU see their loved ones.
After a 12-hour shift, Pitts says it’s hard to let your emotions work.
“When I get home there are days when I just don’t want to talk about it, it’s easier to relax on my own. Then there are other days when I just want to come home and hug my fiancée and cry because I held someone’s hand as I passed, ”she says.
Pitts is hoping community members can do their part to help ease the burden on local hospitals by staying home and wearing a mask.
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