One in Five U.S. Hospitals Face Staffing Crises Within a Week

Hospital workers, many of them beleaguered since early in the coronavirus pandemic, have more pain ahead.

This week, 1 in 5 American hospitals anticipated a critical staff shortage within seven days, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ratio was a record as cases swell and patients flood facilities for a third time since the pandemic began.

North Dakota, Missouri and Wisconsin reported the highest share, each with almost half of its hospitals in need of medical staff as of Wednesday. That tracks with the trajectory...