12 nurses at University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago test positive
A dozen registered nurses at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the union that represents nurses at the hospital.
The report highlights the vulnerability of health care workers caring for patients infected with the disease. Officials with the Illinois
Nurses Association said they believe a shortage of masks and other personal protective equipment contributed to the infections.
“They do not know day to day if they will have masks, gowns, gloves or goggles for that shift,” said Alice Johnson, executive director for the union. “One nurse said their unit manager scolded them for wearing a mask in a room where a COVID-19 positive patient was being intubated.”
A total of 40 hospital staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.
Hospital CEO Michael Zenn confirmed the number of infected nurses and lauded the “heroic efforts” of the hospital’s staff but challenged the notion that administrators had discouraged the use of appropriate PPE.
“Our policy for COVID-19 is that all providers who care for patients confirmed to have COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19 should wear PPE,” Zenn said. “There are no circumstances in which we would ask our care providers to forgo PPE when caring for COVID-19 patients.”
According to internal U. of I. Hospital reports obtained by the Tribune, the number of staff members who are infected has grown rapidly. While the hospital confirmed it was 40 on Friday, the reports showed 19 infected as of Thursday. That number had grown from 11 on the previous day, according to the Medical Staff Daily Status Report.
Medical professionals have been expressing growing concern about the dwindling supplies of N95 masks and other PPE to shield them from sick people transferring the disease. The U. of I. daily status report listed supply levels for some items; N95 masks were said to be at a “criticalstable” level, with a “2 week supply as of 3/18/2020.”