- COVID-19 cases are spiking across the country, leading to a rising number of hospitalizations.
- Almost 80 percent of ICU beds in the country are in use, with 30 percent of those being occupied by people with COVID-19.
- However, in many states, especially those with low vaccination rates, hospitals are reporting that ICUs are “full” or “beyond full” and many are experiencing staff shortages.
- The spike in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is straining the healthcare system, making it more challenging to provide emergency care to patients without COVID-19 in some areas.
Hospitals around the country are running out of ICU beds as coronavirus cases continue to spike in the United States, straining the ability of health systems to care for patients.
And it’s not only people with COVID-19 being affected as medical resources are stretched thin.
People coming to the hospital after a car accident or with signs of a heart attack or stroke may also face long waits for treatment or a bed in the intensive care unit.
Even non-urgent care is being impacted as medical staff, equipment, and space are diverted to deal with surges in COVID-19 patients, the majority of them unvaccinated.
Without staff, ICU beds are just beds. Hospital resources fall into three main categories:
- doctors, nurses, and other staff
- beds for patients, rooms, and other spaces
- equipment and supplies
“A limitation in any one of these can be enough to strain a health system and affect patient care,” said Dr. Greg Martin, a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Early in the pandemic, many hospitals faced a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators.
The supply chains for these have improved since then, but some areas of the country may still have shortages of these or other specialized supplies and equipment.
ICU capacity is also dictated by the number of available beds, which is tracked and reported by many hospitals.
Right now, almost 80 percent of ICU beds in the country are in use, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
But in some parts of the country — especially those with low COVID-19 vaccination rates such as Alabama and Arkansas — hospitals are reporting that ICUs are “full” or “beyond full.”
In response to surges, some health systems have set up additional ICU beds in other parts of the hospital, outside in tents, or even in parking garages.
But Dr. Brad Uren, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Health, part of Michigan Medicine, says simply looking at how many ICU beds are in use can be misleading.
“Without the nurses, respiratory therapists, technicians, physicians, and other staff that provide the actual care, a bed is just a bed,” he said.
Some hospitals in coronavirus hot spots are reporting severe staff shortages due to the stress of caring for patients during surge after surge.
“We’ve seen more issues with burnout and anxiety, and with people walking away from the workforce because they simply can’t take it anymore,” said Martin.
“That’s in large part, I think, because what started off as a sprint has become a marathon. And people are really struggling to continue providing patient care in these subsequent surges.”
Source: healthline