More than 900 workers at two Mayo Clinic facilities in the Midwest have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks, almost one third of the total amount of positive cases at the two locations recorded since the pandemic began, NBC News reports.
A vast majority of those people exposed at the two facilities, located in Minnesota and Wisconsin, contracted the virus through community spread, not through contact with patients at work.
“Across the Midwest, Mayo Clinic currently has approximately 1,500 staff with work restrictions related to COVID-19 exposures, or are unable to work due to a COVID-19 diagnosis,” spokesperson Ginger Plumbo said in a statement.
The shortage of staff is leading to stress within the organization and potentially reducing the availability of care for patients. The facilities are rescheduling elective surgeries and bring back retired employees.
“We are bringing retirees back from recent retirements, having research nurses move into patient care roles temporarily, bringing staff in from our other sites,” Plumbo said.