North Dakota Governor Burgum allowed medical staff who tested positive to continue working. (Source: Associated Press)
Overseas Network, November 10, US media reported that in order to solve the growing shortage of health care workers, North Dakota, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, plans to allow medical workers who have tested positive for Coronavirus to continue to work.
According to the Washington Post, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (Doug Burgum) said on Monday (9th) that the policy only applies to those with asymptomatic positive infections, and will limit them to the disease of Coronavirus patients. Area work. In view of these restrictions and the fact that nurses and doctors in the COVID-19 ward are already wearing protective equipment, “we think these restrictions will work,” Burgum told reporters.
According to reports, North Dakota continues to report more new coronavirus infections and deaths per capita than any other state in the United States. According to data tracked by the Washington Post, in the past week, the number of hospitalizations related to the new coronavirus in the state increased by more than 25%, and the number of deaths increased by more than 36%.
As in other rural areas, workloads are increasing rapidly and hospital beds are scarce. North Dakota has been struggling to find enough people to carry out shifts, and many people are being quarantined or will be quarantined due to illness. Burgum said on the same day that the hospital has asked asymptomatic employees to continue to work and participate in the treatment of Coronavirus patients, which will allow more beds for those who need treatment.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines point out that “if other mitigation strategies have been adopted and there is still a shortage of employees”, then hospitals in a crisis state can allow some employees to resume work before recovering from COVID-19. These employees should wear masks at all times, including in break rooms, and be careful not to eat or drink around others. They also cannot come into contact with patients with weakened immune functions.
According to reports, Belgium adopted similar measures in late October, when hospitalizations related to COVID-19 surged, threatening the medical system. The BBC reported that at least 10 hospitals in Liège, Belgium, require staff who have tested positive but have not shown symptoms to continue working.
The current situation in the United States is still severe. The cumulative number of confirmed and fatal cases in the United States has long ranked first in the world, and the number of new cases in a single day has exceeded 100,000 for several consecutive days. On the 9th Eastern Time, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the United States exceeded the 10 million threshold, and the cumulative number of deaths exceeded 237,000. The number of confirmed cases exceeds 10 million, which means that on average 1 in 33 people in the United States will be diagnosed.
