One in Four Hospitals Anticipating Critical Staff Shortages Within a Week

Data has shown one in four hospitals in the U.S. is anticipating critical staff shortages as healthcare providers brace for a surge in Omicron cases.

Around a quarter of U.S. hospitals are expecting 'critical' imminent staff shortages, according to government data seen by Newsweek.

Of reporting hospitals, 1,180 anticipate a critical staffing shortage with the week, out of 4,940 - a figure of 24 percent. Another 1,184 in the data didn't respond to the question.

The data from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was updated on January 2 and shows 98 percent of hospitals reporting across all 50 states.

The states with the worst figures are California (41 percent), West Virginia (47 percent), New Mexico (51 percent), Rhode Island (54 percent), and Vermont (62 percent). The state with the most hospitals anticipating a staff crisis was California, with 152.

The staff situation is worsening - when asked about 'today', 22 percent of hospitals said there was a critical staff shortage, or 1,071, which is 109 hospitals fewer than those anticipating a crisis within a week.

Orlando Health told Newsweek it is experiencing "workforce challenges" due to the ongoing nursing shortage. It said its staff had "courageously risen to the challenges of administering care to patients throughout this global pandemic. Our top priority continues to be providing safe, high-quality care to all patients."

Newsweek has also contacted Hennepin County Medical Center 1, St. Joseph Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital for comment.

Anticipation of the staff shortage comes as Omicron cases surge across the country since it was first detected in South Africa in November.

The COVID variant is more infectious compared to others and has now supplanted Delta as the dominant strain in the U.S.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been a total of 54,795,407 COVID cases since the pandemic began and a total of 820,355 COVID-related deaths.

Concern over containing the spread of COVID, including the more transmissible Omicron, has heavily impacted airlines with numerous companies canceling flights into, within or outside the U.S. over the holiday season.

In the midst of the staff shortage crisis due to people coming into contact with people who had tested positive for Omicron, the (CDC) issued updated self-isolation guidelines.

The CDC said in a December 27 update that people with COVID-19 should isolate for five days if they are asymptomatic, or if their symptoms are resolving, without fever for 24 hours, and then follow that up with five days of wearing a mask.

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky added in the update: "The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society. CDC's updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses.

"These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather."