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More than 900 staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have contracted the coronavirus in the past two weeks, the hospital announced on Tuesday.
Dean of clinical practice Amy Williams revealed the positive cases during a press briefing, saying 93% of employees contracted the virus in the greater Rochester community while many of those who contracted it at the clinic do so in the break room while eating, St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
“Our staff are infected primarily from the spread in the community, which impacts our ability to care for patients. We need all members of the communities we serve to do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19, ”Williams said, highlighting how easy it was to contract the virus in the Midwest, where states are currently experiencing a increase in cases.
The more than 900 staff members make up more than a third of the 2,981 Mayo employees who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 to date, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. When you factor in those who are quarantined or who have left to care for family members, the clinic is currently experiencing a staffing shortage of about 1,500 people across its system.
In the same press briefing, Williams said the clinic’s 32 dedicated COVID-19 intensive care beds have been occupied at Rochester Hospital. The clinic is currently expanding the unit by about a dozen beds.
“We have 32 COVID patients requiring tertiary care, and that’s not good. It tells us we’re in a wave, ”said Williams. She added that there were 73 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in non-ICU settings.
“All of our hospitals are really overcrowded and many are absolutely full.” Williams said, but added, “We continue to have capacity for anyone who needs our care.”
Minnesota has reported 236,949 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,943 deaths from the disease since the start of the pandemic, according to the state health department.
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