中英對照讀新聞》First they ran short of PPE, then ventilators. Now, the shortage is hospital staff 醫院先是缺少個人防護設備，然後是呼吸器，現在連人都不夠了

Omicron來襲導致美國醫院大鬧人力荒。圖為2021年12月一名由美軍國防部派至密西根州一家醫院協助填補人力的陸軍護士正準備進入病房。（法新社）

◎張沛元

Doctors at at the Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s leading hospitals, are confronting the same challenges as their colleagues everywhere: exhaustion, burnout and exasperation at patients who still refuse to mask up and get vaccinated.

全球最頂尖醫院之一的（美國）梅約診所的醫生，正面臨與跟各地同業一樣的挑戰：筋疲力竭、過勞，以及被仍拒絕戴上口罩與接種疫苗的病人氣死。

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And that was before the arrival of omicron, the most transmissible variant yet, which is sickening staffers as well as patients and fueling workforce shortages.

但這是在傳播力最強、工作人員與病患皆因此病倒，以及導致醫院人力短缺的變種病毒株Omicron來臨之前的情況。

As a result, health-care systems nationwide are canceling elective procedures, turning away requests to take emergency medical services patients and grappling with workers calling in sick.

職是之故，全美國的健康照護系統取消非緊急的外科手術，拒絕接下需要緊急醫療的病患，以及設法解決工作人員請病假（所衍生的問題）。

Multiple states have deployed the National Guard to help support stressed hospitals, often by simply managing administrative tasks such as helping deliver food or cleaning dirty rooms.

多州已部署國民兵以協助支持承受極大壓力的醫院，通常是做些協助送餐或清理骯髒病房等的行政工作。

新聞辭典

run short of/on something：片語，快用完，缺少。例句：The company is running short of capital and risking bankruptcy.（這家公司缺少現金並有破產之虞。）

confront：動詞，面對，面臨；遭遇。例句：You have to confront your fear of speaking in public if you decide to run for mayor.（你若決定參選市長，就必須正視害怕公開發言的毛病。）

grapple with something：慣用語，盡力解決；設法對付；盡量克服。

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