Physicians brace for potential surge in COVID-19 cases

ABSTRACT

Jonathan A. Ripp, MD, MPH, chief wellness officer and senior associate dean for well-being and resilience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Infectious Diseases in Children that the concerns among employees at his health care system have evolved over the course of the pandemic. When the first cases emerged, the major stressors were about basic needs such as child care and personal safety, particularly given the nationwide shortage of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, he said. The bigger concern, she said, is contact tracing, which will require more staffing and collaborations between public health officials, the federal government, universities and the private sector to incorporate apps and other technology that can improve the efficiency of contact tracing. "If we do reduce transmission in the weeks ahead - before we head into fall - that increased testing, increased contact tracing, immediate isolation and quarantine of contacts can really help us keep rates low ... hopefully so that the health care capacity can be sufficient and that we can bide time until there are better treatments and until there is a vaccine," Schuchat said.