With coronavirus patients surging beyond New York, the COVID-19 pandemic is straining healthcare organization workforces from coast to coast. The United States has more reported COVID-19 cases and deaths than any other country, at more than 644,000 cases and more than 28,000 deaths as of April 16.

Using sterile, disposable bronchoscopes would “substantially reduce the risks” to patients and healthcare staff, the researchers wrote. But single-use bronchoscopes are not widely available and may not be effective for some bronchoscopy uses, they added.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting states with varying intensity, with patient surges expected to roll out across the country in different time frames. For example, as of April 15, New York had nearly 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to more than 3,800 cases in Arizona, according to Johns Hopkins University.

More than 80% of surveyed CFOs expect company revenues and profits to decline this year as a result of the outbreak. Additionally, 75% of CFOs now view the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on operations and liquidity as the top concern for 2020.

The goal of the tool is to help administrators evaluate the competence of this new workforce and assign healthcare professionals to the appropriate patient assignments or tasks that are based on their individual level of practice, according to an Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses news release.

More than 350 rural hospitals, accounting for $8.3 billion in total patient revenue, are at the greatest financial risk of closure, according to Guidehouse. The five states most likely to be impacted by hospital closures include Tennessee, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, and Kansas, according to the analysis.

The blanket waivers were issued for the national emergency declared by the president, retroactive to March 1, to empower healthcare providers to take needed actions and to provide flexibility when preparing and caring for COVID-19 patients.

New York is expected to experience the country’s first peak of COVID-19 patients in the next week or two, followed closely by other hotspot states such as Louisiana, New Jersey, and Michigan. The surge of patients is straining hospital capacity, healthcare worker staffing, and supplies of personal protective equipment and ventilators.

The scarcity of the tests, and the subsequent wait for results for patients and staff, which often took a week or longer, had a snowball effect on patient throughput, according to a survey and analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General.