U.S.: More military medical personnel are assisting hospitals with Covid-19 treatment as staff shortages mount

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Thu, 2022-01-06 00:01 — mike kraft

(CNN) As the number of Covid-19 hospitalizations now surpass those during the Delta variant surge over the summer and fall, more states are enacting emergency protocols to deal with growing staff shortages at hospitals.

The greater transmissibility of the Omicron variant -- which in just one month has led to millions of new cases -- has left frontline workers at a higher risk of exposure, needing to quarantine and recover after positive tests. And health officials are working to plug any gaps in coverage.

In the last week, states such as Ohio, Maryland, Delaware and Georgia have mobilized National Guard members to assist with patient care. ...

At the MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, officials told CNN that not only is the hospital filled with people needing treatment, but roughly 400 employees are out with Covid-19.

Ohio Air National Guard Cpt. Lanette Looney, who is overseeing the mission at the hospital where 28 Guard members are helping with medical and non-medical tasks, noted they have faced Covid-19 infections as well.

"Within two days of being here, we had four Guard members that were symptomatic with sore throats, headaches, body aches, fever, nasal congestion, and they all tested positive for Covid," she told CNN's Gary Tuchman.

Teams of military medical personnel are working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid with health care staffing in multiple states, including Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, US Army North said in a statement Tuesday.

A 15-person team from the Air Force is due to support a hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire, and another 20-person team from the Navy will assist a medical center in Buffalo, New York, the statement said. ...

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