December 31, 2020

UW Health looking ahead to 2021, reflecting on events of 2020

Madison, Wis. — As 2020 comes to a close, UW Health wants to take a moment to reflect on a year most of us are ready to be done with.

From Wisconsin’s first COVID-19 case in January to the fall surge that turned Wisconsin into a hotbed of COVID-19 infections to the recent vaccine approvals that offer renewed hope, this pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives.

Our providers and staff continue their work every day to care for our patients and our community, treating those with COVID-19 and those with afflictions like cancer, heart disease and diabetes that don’t stop just because of the pandemic. We are grateful to those in our community who are working hard to stop the spread of the virus and thank them for their support of our frontline healthcare heroes.

2020 was the year where everyone learned terms like social distancing, convalescent plasma, PPE and antigen testing. As we turn the calendar to 2021, the word on everyone’s lips is vaccine. We are still months away from the vaccine being widely available, which means many more months of physical distancing, mask wearing and vigilant hand hygiene. But vaccines are a big part of what will come to define 2021.