Plague Diaries - November 13, 2020 - Republicans governing with depraved indifference...

"November Hydrangea" (Picture Courtesy of Wylddane Productions, LLC)

The definition of "depraved indifference":  "To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting."

This is how Wisconsin's state #republican controlled legislature governs.  There is no excuse for them and in my book each and everyone of them should be tried for manslaughter by depraved indifference.  Everytime the Governor tries to enact protective measures, #republicans do not work with him (during this time of plague) but instead prance off to their highly partisan court...which is so right-wing with unqualified judges that it could not make a constitutional decision if it wanted to!

So, here the the grim situation we are in as of today...each and everyone of us are truly on our own because there is no leadership (this is from the 11/11/2020 edition of UpNorthNews:

Second Consecutive Day of More Than 7,000 Cases Reported

• The state Department of Health Services (DHS) Wednesday reported 7,048 new positive cases, and 64 more Wisconsinites died due to complications associated with the virus.
  
  
• The Wisconsin Hospital Association on Wednesday reported another record number of COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization (2,102), with a record number of those patients (441) being cared for in intensive care units. There are 121 ICU beds currently available statewide. This is down seven beds from Tuesday.
  
  
• Only two of 72 intensive care beds at a combined 26 hospitals in the northwest part of the state were immediately available. Sixty-three of 673 medical-surgical beds in the region were available, according to the WHA.
  
  
• In central Wisconsin, seven of 128 intensive care beds are available. In the northeast region, just 15 of 207 intensive care beds are available, and 64 of 656 in southeast Wisconsin.  
  
  
• In Eau Claire, all three major hospitals report being at or near capacity.  
  
  
• Mayo Clinic Health System officials said none of the system’s intensive care and medical-surgical beds are available at its Eau Claire, Menomonie, Barron, Bloomer, and Osseo sites. As of late Tuesday, 83 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized at those sites.
  
  
• Similarly, all medical surgical beds at Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire’s 44-bed hospital were full Wednesday morning,

Chief Medical Officer: Overwhelmed Wisconsin Hospitals Reaching 'Tipping Point,' of No Longer Being Able to Save People

• Coronavirus cases in Wisconsin have reached a “tipping point” in which available resources to treat COVID-19 patients may soon not be enough to save the lives of some patients hospitalized with the virus, state Department of Health Services Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard said Wednesday.
  
• “Right now our biggest concern is that hospitals have the resources to treat people,” Westergaard said when asked about the most serious impact of rapidly rising COVID-19 cases. “We’re close to a tipping point. And that tipping point is when we stop being able to save people.”
  
• On Wednesday 7,048 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Wisconsin, the second consecutive day of more than 7,000 cases and the third-highest one-day total. 
  
• Hospitals throughout Wisconsin report they are at or near capacity to treat patients and are struggling to provide enough staff to provide care because of exposures to COVID-19.
  
  --Reported by Julian Emerson
  
  
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God help us all.