Short on Staff, Some Chinese Hospitals Insist Covid-Infected Workers Get Back on the Job

China is facing a crunch in medical workers as many succumb to Covid-19 amid a surge in cases throughout the country, placing a strain on the nation’s health care system and forcing some hospitals to ask sick staff to keep working.

Caixin has learned that several hospitals in Beijing have faced staffing constraints, as more doctors get struck down by the virus. Smaller cities are also faced with similar constraints. In a county-level city in Central China’s Hubei province, one doctor estimated that 20% of medical staff in his hospital had been infected, and that percentage reached 50% among those working in high-risk settings, including the fever clinic and emergency department.