Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Testing, ICU Beds And Health Workers Are Once Again In Short Supply
Politico: Labs Sound Alarm On Coronavirus Testing Capacity, Supplies
Clinical laboratories are warning they could soon face delays processing coronavirus tests, similar to slowdowns this summer, as infections again surge to record numbers across the country. The nation’s testing capacity has increased, but not fast enough to keep pace with the swarm of new cases. Over the past week, the U.S. conducted nearly 10 million coronavirus tests, an increase of 12.5 percent from the previous week, while confirmed cases rose 40.8 percent to more than 875,000. (Lim, 11/12)
Modern Healthcare: Nurses Say Hospitals Aren't Prepared For COVID-19 Surge During Flu Season
Nurses allege that U.S. hospitals don't have basic infection control and prevention measures in place as they face another surge of COVID-19 cases, this time during flu season. In a recent survey, National Nurses United, a nationwide union of registered nurses, found that only 18% of nurses worked in hospitals where there was surge capacity planning and preparation. (Christ, 11/12)
The Washington Post: ‘Catastrophic’ Lack Of Hospital Beds In Upper Midwest As Coronavirus Cases Surge
Covid’s long, dark winter has already arrived in the Upper Midwest, as cases and deaths surge, snatching lives, overwhelming hospitals, exhausting health-care providers and raising fears that the region’s medical system will be completely overwhelmed in the coming days. As coronavirus cases grow across the United States — up 70 percent on average in the past two weeks, with an average of 130,000 cases per day nationally — the situation is particularly acute now in the Upper Midwest and Plains states, with North and South Dakota leading the nation in new cases and deaths per capita over the past week, according to Washington Post data. (Gowen and Bailey, 11/12)
Crain's Cleveland Business: Cleveland Clinic Postpones Some Nonessential Procedures As COVID-19 Surges
As COVID-19 cases soar, Cleveland Clinic is postponing nonessential surgical cases that require an inpatient hospital stay at most of its Ohio hospitals for Friday, Nov. 13, and Monday, Nov. 16 in the interest of ensuring it has "the staffing and resources needed to continue safely caring for our patients," according to a statement from the system. This week, Ohio reached the highest number of new COVID-19 cases, cracking 6,500 in one day. In 50 days, COVID-19 patients in Ohio hospitals increased 350%, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. (Coutré, 11/12)
