Nearly 1 in 4 hospitals have reported a lack of staff as COVID-19 cases continue to rise to record-breaking levels in the United States.
Close to 23% of hospitals in the U.S. have reported staffing shortages on Tuesday, according to new data released by the Department of Human and Health Services.
975 out of 4294 hospitals claimed that they did not have enough nurses and doctors to accommodate their patient needs. These staff shortages are coinciding with a rise in ICU bed usage. Eighty percent of ICU beds were occupied on Tuesday, reports the HHS. COVID-19 patients accounted for 30.8% of occupied ICU beds.
QUEBEC OFFICIALS PROPOSE TAXING THE UNVACCINATED TO COVER HEALTH COSTS OF OMICRON SURGE
COVID-19 numbers have been at an all-time high. The U.S. shattered previous hospitalization records on Tuesday, reporting 145,982 patients in the hospital with COVID-19. The National Guard has also been activated in several states to help provide bodies and medical support in hospitals where staff is lacking and to distribute supplies.
This surge has led officials to take additional actions to support the hospitals. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an executive order on Monday granting permission to out-of-state medical workers to work in Virginia. The order also lifted bed licensing requirements and increased provider-to-patient ratios for the next month.
QUEBEC OFFICIALS PROPOSE TAXING THE UNVACCINATED TO COVER HEALTH COSTS OF OMICRON SURGE
The Red Cross said that it is facing its first blood supply shortage and that it has been forced to limit blood distribution to hospitals.
Congress has also been dealing with a surge of COVID-19 cases. Several members of Congress have reported testing positive for COVID-19 in the last week, including Reps Nancy Mace, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sean Patrick Maloney.
