US State of Ohio to Deploy 1,050 National Guard Members to Staff Hospitals

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US state of Ohio has decided to deploy more than 1,000 members of the National Guard to support local hospitals and testing locations that face an increased number of novel coronavirus cases, the Governor’s office said in a statement on Friday.

Of the total mobilized National Guard members, approximately 150 are highly-trained medical professionals and will deploy to help meet what it called were “critical needs” at hospitals and testing locations, the statement said. The Other 900 National Guard members will help with patient transport, housekeeping, and food services, it added.

“Governor [Mike] DeWine mobilized 1,050 members of the Ohio National Guard to help relieve the hospital staffing strain caused by the rising number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is causing,” the statement said.

The selected group of National Guard members is expected to be deployed on Monday.

The governor explained in the statement that the decision was taken due to the increase in hospital admissions causing the medical facilities to postpone elective surgeries, transfer patients to other hospitals, impose visitation standards and implement crisis standards of care.

The Ohio authorities have reported that more than 4,700 residents, or 20 percent of all hospital patients, have the novel coronavirus, according to official data.

The health officials in South Africa, where the latest coronavirus variant - the Omicron - was detected, have said the infections were in vaccinated individuals and the cases were mild. US health officials have also said the cases detected in the United States have been mild.