department of public health and human services, as of sushld, there were more than 142,000 patients hospitalized with the virus nationwide, surpassing the peak reached on january 14th of last year. the surge in cases is causing a serious shortage of hospital staff. some hospitals are so desperate to keep nurses on the job, they re allowing them to work even if they have covid. we have hundreds of doctors and nurses now that have covid and are isolating because of that. there are many hospitals in the country that are simply on their knees, they are overwhelmed. california says doctors and nurses who test positive but are symptom-free can continue working without isolating. arizona and rhode island went a step further allowing health care employees with mild covid symptoms to take care of patients. other hospitals are keeping beds open because they don t have the staff to handle the patient load. health officials say that move is a last resort to ensure the proper care for current