‘It’s death around you all the time’: What it’s like to be a nurse amid the omicron surge

Many hospitals are currently struggling with overwhelming numbers of Covid-19 patients as well as staffing shortages, leaving the workers who remain with what one nurse manager called a “PTSD-like situation.”

Get the slide deck: Omicron and the hard truths of the nurse staffing crisis

High patient loads, staffing shortages batter hospitals

According to a New York Times database, the omicron surge in the United States seemingly peaked on Jan. 14 with a seven-day case average of 806,801, and is now in decline. However, hospitals in many areas of the country are still overwhelmed by record numbers of patients.

Omicron’s 3 biggest challenges for the health care workforce

In addition to high patient...