Tensions Rise as Virus Cases Surge in Wisconsin, Dakotas

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin and the Dakotas are forcing a scramble for hospital beds and rising political tensions, as the Upper Midwest and Plains emerge as one of the nation’s most troubling hotspots.

The three states now lead all others in new cases per capita, after months in which many residents and politicians shunned mask requirements while downplaying the risks of the disease.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster,” said Melissa Resch, a nurse at Wisconsin’s Aspirus Wausau Hospital, which is working to add beds and reassign staff to keep up with a rising caseload of virus patients, many gravely ill.

“Just yesterday I had a patient say, ’It’s OK, you guys took good care of me, but it’s OK to let me go,’” Resch said. “I’ve cried with the respiratory unit, I’ve cried with managers. I cry at home. I’ve seen nurses crying openly in the hallway.”

In North Dakota, which does not require residents to wear masks and whose 770 new cases per 100,000 residents are the highest in the country, 24 more virus deaths were reported Wednesday, triple the state’s previous single-day record.

It is increasingly apparent that those choices have come with costs.