Swamped US hospitals scramble for pandemic help

Registered nurse Chrissie Burkhiser puts on PPE as she prepares to treat a Covid-19 patient in a hospital in Memphis, Missouri. US hospitals are taking more desperate measures to lure staff as the coronavirus surges across the country (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Covid-stretched US hospitals are trying to lure nurses and doctors out of retirement, recruiting students and new graduates yet to earn their licenses while offering large salaries in a desperate bid to ease staffing shortages.

With the virus surging from coast to coast, the number of patients in hospital with the virus has more than doubled over the past month to a record high of nearly 100,000, pushing medical centres and health care workers to breaking point.