On Nov. 17, 2020, the Mayo Clinic reported that more than 900 employees had contracted COVID-19 in the previous two weeks, according to a briefing on by Dr. Amy Williams, dean of clinical practice. Dr. Williams reported “over 93% of those individuals who had exposures to COVID-19, were exposed in the community, not at work.”

The 900 staff newly diagnosed with COVID-19 equals over one-third of the 2,981 Mayo employees diagnosed since the start of the outbreak. When you add in staff who are quarantined or taken offline in order to care for relatives, the clinic is currently experiencing a stable shortage of 1,500 staff systemwide, 1,000 in Rochester.