Hospitals will likely continue to have staffing shortages despite falling COVID-19 cases Estimations show that between now and March 20, 7% of U.S. counties will experience "significant strains" on their hospital workforces. , Associate Editor Despite recent declines in coronavirus cases nationwide, many hospitals may still have workforce shortages over the next 30 days due to COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to estimates from George Washington University. The university's Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity recently launched its COVID-19 County Workforce Estimator, which predicts that between now and March 20, 7% of U.S. counties will experience "significant strains" on their hospital workforces. It attributes the strain to long-standing staffing problems with the added pressure of the pandemic.