Daylong waits in the emergency room. No one to answer the phones. No one to take out the trash. And more patients arriving each day. That’s the scene playing out at some hospitals across Southern California.
In general, tests are able to reveal an Omicron infection, but enough virus needs to have reproduced and appear at sufficiently high levels in the nose or saliva to be detectable, health officials say.The decision is “irresponsible and a huge mistake that will jeopardize everyone’s health,” said Rosanna Mendez, executive director of SEIU 121RN, a union representing workers in Southern California.
Kim-Farley said the policy is a recognition of the significant strain hospitals are experiencing amid an increased number of patients and decreased number of staff. The chances of transmission from an asymptomatic worker are minimal, he said, particularly since he or she would be practicing precautions, including wearing high-grade medical masks.
All of the emergency department’s beds — including 80 in the ER and 20 in a tent outside — have been full since the start of the year, he said. Housekeepers, environmental service workers, delivery workers and even the lab workers who process COVID-19 tests are out sick. Dr. Joanne Spetz, director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UC San Francisco, said the newness of Omicron makes it difficult to compare the risk of staffing shortages to the risk of patient exposure, as there is little data about the new variant with which to work.to patients. Research has found that short staffing results in more deaths, more morbidity and more accidents and errors, she said.
“As always, when addressing any changes to our expected practices, L.A. County Department of Health Services will make adjustments that follow data-driven science and uphold our responsibility to the well-being of our staff, patients and the communities we serve,” they said. Dr. Ileana Meza, an SEIU union chair and nurse practitioner at L.A. County-USC, said the staffing situation at the hospital was dire. When she arrived at work Monday, the parking lot looked empty because so many people were out sick. Thirty emergency room nurses and 40 operating room nurses called in sick last week, and some patients are waiting up to 20 hours for admission.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Health officials let COVID-infected staff members stay on the jobThe move is a reaction to the severe hospital staffing shortages and crushing caseloads that the omicron variant is causing.
Read more »
US Hospitals Letting COVID-Infected Staff Stay On The JobThe move is a reaction to the severe hospital staffing shortages and crushing caseloads that the omicron variant is causing.
Read more »
Mayor Lori Lightfoot tests positive for COVID-19, she says in tweetChicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has tested positive for COVID, she said in a tweet.
Read more »
Health care workers say new COVID guidelines for asymptomatic are 'disaster waiting to happen'California health care workers took to the streets on Monday to protest the controversial new workplace guidelines for those who test positive for COVID-19, calling it 'a disaster waiting to happen.'
Read more »
N.J. COVID hospitalizations surge past 6,000 patients. Another 21,691 cases, 29 confirmed deaths reported.The 6,075 COVID patients in New Jersey's hospitals is the most since April 29, 2020.
Read more »