Washington (CNN) A chronic staffing shortage across the Department of Veterans Affairs is fueling new concerns that lives could be put at risk as the country's largest integrated health care system confronts the growing coronavirus pandemic. Fifteen other cases, either confirmed or presumed to be positive, have since surfaced at VA facilities in Nevada, Louisiana, Washington state, Georgia, South Dakota and Colorado. An additional 2,000 VA-developed tests will only be used if necessary, VA spokesperson Christina Mandreucci told CNN. While Mandreucci told CNN that "no staffing issues are impacting its response to COVID-19," the department has been grappling with a well-known staffing problem for some time. Shulkin told CNN that were he still running the VA, he would have already issued the directive in response to the coronavirus.

Source: CNN March 14, 2020 13:07 UTC