Amid the most recent surge in COVID-19 cases, caused by the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, the United States decided to renew the COVID-19 public health emergency once more. The public health emergency was due to expire on April 16, 2022, but will now be extended for at least another three months. In fact, the state of emergency was declared for the first time in January 2020 when the pandemic began and has been renewed every three months since then. However, policy experts believe this very well might be the last extension. Read on to learn more about the most recent COVID news in healthcare and how changes could affect you.
Is There Really a Surge in COVID-19 Cases in the US?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the US has had the most COVID-19 cases in the entire world with a grand total of 80.41 million cases. Sadly, it has also had the highest number of deaths. Although the US still has not experienced the surge in BA.2 COVID cases that have been seen in Europe and Asia, it is still possible that the wave will hit soon since surges in the US have historically followed surges in Europe by a few weeks – not to mention the fact that the north-eastern part of the United States has recently seen an uptick in cases.
According to the World Health Organization, the BA.2 variant currently constitutes approximately 86% of all COVID-19 cases globally. In the US, it is estimated to represent three-fourths of all cases. Since the BA.2 variant has been established to be significantly more transmissible than the BA.1 and BA.1.1 COVID-19 sub-variants, a surge of cases in the US seems imminent.
Significance of the State of Emergency Renewal
Most people in the US have likely taken the free COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and treatments for granted. However, when the public health emergency ends, none of these services will continue to be free.
The government has been covering the cost of tests, vaccines, and treatments for those under Medicare or Medicaid health insurance programs and has been requiring that private insurance companies cover the full cost of tests and vaccines through public health emergency funding. When the state of emergency ends though, insured individuals will have to pay co-pays, and those uninsured will no longer be eligible for free testing. Furthermore, state governments have relaxed enrollment rules for Medicaid during the pandemic to qualify for enhanced federal funding, but when the public health emergency ends, millions of people could potentially lose their Medicaid coverage as stricter rules take effect once more.
What Does This COVID-19 News Mean for Healthcare Workers?
First of all, healthcare facilities should prepare to face another surge in COVID-19 cases. One way to do this is for facilities to put in place mechanisms that will allow them to hire PRN staff as needed.
Secondly, healthcare facilities should also prepare for a flood of patients that will continue to expect free services once the public health emergency has expired. Nurses, who are forever working on the front lines, will most likely bear the brunt of this transition since they are the ones who interact most with patients.
What Is PRN in Healthcare?
The term PRN stands for the Latin "pro re nata", which means as needed. In healthcare, this term is used to refer to temporary shifts created for healthcare staff on demand. Healthcare facilities post their PRN requirements, and PRN nurses and other allied health workers pick up these temporary shifts.
How to Find PRN COVID JobsEveryone knows that COVID-19 jobs are not easy, but when have nursing jobs ever been easy? Granted, COVID jobs are not for everyone, but many nurses feel that if they are going to experience burnout anyways, they might as well get the highest possible compensation for their work. Whether you are looking for COVID jobs or just PRN work in general, the Nursa™ healthcare staffing app will help you find what you are looking for. You can sign up in less than 15 minutes and begin browsing for available PRN work near you. Also, follow the Nursa™ blog for more COVID news in healthcare.
For more healthcare news, read our article about the ban on noncompetes, which frees up healthcare professionals to take control of their careers and ultimately, destinies.
