|
 Dr. James Gilman, the chief executive officer of NIH's clinical
center, said in an email to staff on Wednesday that beginning next
week, elective surgeries would be delayed. At least 80 clinical
center staff called in sick on Wednesday alone because of COVID-19
infections or exposures.
NIH also is "running dangerously low" on the chemicals required by
its laboratories to test for COVID-19 and "reagents are in short
supply everywhere," Gilman wrote.
The decision is indicative of the kinds of workforce disruptions
that are expected as Americans return to their jobs next week
following the winter holidays. Across all of NIH, 250 new cases of
COVID-19 have been reported between Dec. 20-27 out of an estimated
40,000 staff.
"The situation has gotten a little bit worse each day," Gilman
wrote. "If there is any good news, it may be that the Omicron peak
should be rapid and we can get back to business as usual soon.
However, we cannot do business as usual next week."
The silver lining is that many cases among staff are mildly
symptomatic and don't appear to be spreading within the workplace,
Gilman said.
"The Clinical Center doesn’t currently have staff shortages," NIH
spokesperson Renate Myles said. "Dr. Gilman is proactively making
changes in anticipation of potential shortages."
[to top of second column] |
 Last week, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reduced the
isolation period required of healthcare workers,
fearing the highly-transmissible Omicron would
sideline critical staff just as hospitals are
flooded with new COVID patients.
The CDC this week also cut in half the
recommended isolation period for other Americans
with asymptomatic COVID in advance of an
expected surge that could force workers in many
other industries to stay home even if they
aren’t ill or infectious.
"I point out again the inadvisability of having
patients travel to our area (an Omicron hotspot)
for any eventuality other than a dire
emergency," Gilman wrote to NIH clinical center
staff in the suburb of Bethesda, Maryland,
outside Washington. They help run hundreds of
clinical trials, including for cancer research
and rare diseases.
"I apologize in advance for taking this
precipitous action without more advanced warning
but extreme circumstances again call for extreme
measures," Gilman wrote.
(Reporting by Marisa Taylor; Editing by Michele
Gershberg and Grant McCool)
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