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More than 900 employees at the Mayo Clinic, a leading research hospital based in Rochester, Minnesota, have contracted Covid-19 in the past two weeks.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dr Amy Williams, dean of clinical practice at the hospital, said the vast majority of infected staff – 93% – were not infected at work, according to the St Paul Pioneer Press. Most of those who have been infected at work contracted the virus by eating without a mask during their breaks, Williams said.
The hundreds of employees who have contracted the virus in the past two weeks represent more than a third of all employees infected since the start of the pandemic. The hospital is experiencing a shortage of 1,000 employees at its Rochester headquarters, according to Pioneer Press.
“It shows you how easy it is to get Covid-19 in the Midwest,” Williams said during a press call. “Our staff are mostly infected due to the spread in the community, which impacts our ability to care for patients.”
The hospital did not say whether any of those infected had died from the virus. Lost on the Frontline, a joint effort of the Guardian and Kaiser Health News, is investigating the deaths of 1,396 healthcare workers who appear to have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Covid-19 cases have increased across the country with the arrival of the dreaded winter spike in cases. Yesterday, 161,000 new cases in the United States were reported and 76,830 people are believed to be currently hospitalized with the virus across the country.
Minnesota has seen a particularly alarming spike in cases in recent weeks. The seven-day moving average of new cases in the state was 7,402 on Tuesday, the highest in the state, according to Johns Hopkins University. The governor is expected to pass new restrictions on social gatherings and businesses such as bars and restaurants amid the influx.
Williams pointed out that hospitals in the Midwest are “really stretched out” and “a lot of them are absolutely full.” Rochester Mayo Hospital has filled all 32 intensive care beds it has designated for Covid-19 patients. “We have 32 Covid patients requiring tertiary care” – which means sophisticated specialist care – “and that’s not good. This tells us that we are in a wave.
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