August 11, 2021 – The rapidly escalating surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hot spots, according to a report from the Associated Press. Hospitals in overwhelmed states are struggling to keep up with the flood of unvaccinated patients and are losing workers to burnout and lucrative out-of-state temporary gigs.
The U.S. is averaging more than 116,000 new coronavirus infections a day along with about 50,000 hospitalizations, levels not experienced since the winter surge
As of August 11, Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oregon all have more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic, and nursing staffs are badly strained.
In Florida, COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday surpassed the pandemic’s previous worst surge, setting a record of 13,600, with more than 2,800 required intensive care, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. For comparison, at the height of last year’s summer surge there were more than 10,170 COVID-19 hospitalizations.
As a result of the increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the state of Florida requested 300 ventilators from the federal government, according to a Department of Health and Human Services planning document obtained by ABC News.
Nearly 70% of Florida hospitals are expecting critical staffing shortages in the next week, according to the Florida Hospital Association.
Other states are also dealing with massive worker burnout amid the current surge.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced yesterday that state employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or six weeks after a COVID-19 vaccine receives full federal approval, whichever is later. Her office plans to announce a statewide indoor mask requirement on Wednesday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday directed state officials to use staffing agencies to find additional medical staff from beyond the state’s borders as the delta variant overwhelms its present staffing resources. He also has sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association to request that hospitals postpone all elective medical procedures voluntarily.
Parts of Europe have so far avoided a similar hospital crisis, despite wide circulation of the delta variant, with help from vaccines, according to the Associated Press. For example, the United Kingdom on Monday had more than 5,900 COVID-19 patients in hospitals, but the latest surge has not overwhelmed medical centers. As of Tuesday, the government said 75% of adults have been fully vaccinated.