Covid-infected medics forced to work in France

Nurses look at a screen near rooms with patients from Covid-19, in the ICU unit at the Charles Nicolle public hospital, in Rouen, France. File pic/AP

France is allowing health care workers who are infected with the coronavirus but have few or no symptoms to keep treating patients rather than self-isolate, an extraordinary stopgap measure aimed at easing staff shortages at hospitals and other facilities caused by an unprecedented explosion in cases. The special exemption to France's quarantine rules being rolled out to hospitals, elderly care homes, doctors' offices and other essential health services testifies to the growing strain on the medical system by the fast-spreading omicron variant.

It is a calculated risk, with the possibility that health care workers with Covid-19 could infect colleagues and patients being weighed against what the government says is a need to keep essential services running. Governments and industries have warned that isolation rules are creating staff shortages across a range of sectors as the omicron variant causes surges in infections in many countries. In some places, quarantines have been shortened to get workers back to their posts. French hospital authorities said the new flexibility from self-isolation would help them plug staffing holes when they open up.

"If the system becomes very strained and 50% of our staff are positive, the less symptomatic will come to work because the patients will still need to be cared for," said Dr. Marc Leone, head of anesthesiology at the North Hospital in the southern city of Marseille. "But we're not in that situation yet," he said. The Health Ministry instructions say where possible, the infected workers shouldn't be in contact with unvaccinated patients or those at greater risk of severe illness with Covid-19. The ministry said they also must limit as much as possible interactions with colleagues and cannot take part in shared activities where masks are removed, such as breaks for food and drinks.

US hospitals also dealing with staff issues

Hospitals across the US are also dealing with serious staff shortages because many health care workers are getting sick with the fast-spreading variant. People are showing up at emergency rooms in large numbers in hopes of getting tested for Covid-19, putting more strain on the system. The pressures are prompting hospitals to scale back non-emergency surgeries and close wards, while National Guard troops have been sent in several states to help at medical centres and testing sites.

‘Multiple studies show Omicron less severe than Delta'

Data from several countries on the Omicron severity show that even though the variant is highly transmissible, it causes less disease than the previously Delta strain which was much more lethal, according to the US' top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci. In a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Fauci quoted studies from South Africa, the UK and Canada to say that Omicron is less severe. However, he cautioned not to be complacent.

22,94,039
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

29,37,50,692
Total no. of cases worldwide

54,54,131
Total no. of deaths worldwide

Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins

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