WINONA, Minn. – Fire Chief Curt Bittle called for everyone to reboot their personal safety protocols to help prevent the COVID crisis from overwhelming the health-care system. In an interview on radio station KWNO, Bittle said that 91% of critical-care beds in southeast Minnesota were in use as of November 9. The problem is not just a bed shortage, he said, noting concern about hospitals being short-staffed for critical-care patients. “This is what we’ve been dreading,” Bittle said.” The city’s focal point has been our status at our hospitals. We’re now at a point where we are full.”
