Southern US hospitals grapple with staff shortages amid record Covid cases

Sick personnel push hospitals to their breaking point as the Omicron variant tears through the region

As the Omicron variant rips through the US, states in the south continue to report record case numbers amid serious concern around hospital staff shortages.

In Mississippi, officials warned this week the hospital system was on the verge of crisis due to staff shortages as local media reported most hospitals in the state were at or had reached capacity during the Omicron surge.