US COVID-19 vaccination uneven, high rates among federal personnel

The US federal government has granted a request from Governor Gretchen Whitmer for staffing assistance to support medical personnel treating COVID-19 patients amid a surge in infections in Michigan, reported The Detroit News on Wednesday.

Under the agreement, two teams of 22 members each will help staff at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn and Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids. The teams will include registered nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists and will arrive next week.

"Hospitals are at capacity across the state, particularly in Metro Detroit and West Michigan, and this is taking a tremendous toll on our health care workers," Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state health department, was quoted as saying.

Hospitals in Massachusetts will cut back on non-urgent scheduled procedures starting on Monday because of staffing shortages and longer patient hospital stays, NYT on Wednesday quoted the state's health authorities as saying.

Coronavirus cases have been rising in Massachusetts for several weeks, but hospitalizations have risen at a lower rate. The staffing shortage was largely driven by the pandemic, but the pressure on hospitals relates to other COVID-19 consequences.

The pandemic has contributed to the loss of some 500 medical, surgical and ICU hospital beds in Massachusetts, and hospitals are seeing an influx of patients who delayed visiting the doctor when COVID-19 cases were higher, according to the report.