Alabama ICU hospital beds reach full capacity + future risks
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With COVID-19 cases on the rise, Alabama hospitals have run out of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, putting a strain on the state’s healthcare system. Keep reading to learn more about the risk we may face if hospitalization numbers grow, and how you can help.
The risks Alabama residents face
According to Axios, more than 77% of America’s ICU beds are currently being used, as hospitals wrestle with the rush of severely ill COVID-19 patients—most of whom are unvaccinated. In Alabama, 102.3% of staffed ICU beds are currently occupied
AL.com said as of Tuesday, August 17th, Alabama had 2,723 people hospitalized with COVID-19—along with 41 pediatric patients. This runs the risk of overwhelming hospitals and burning out their staff, which would make matters worse.
What you should know
The rapid increase of COVID cases have left Alabama with more ICU patients than ICU beds. According to AL.com, patients are receiving ICU-level care on gurneys in hallways and emergency rooms.
The CDC says unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than vaccinated people and as of August 20, 2021, Alabama has 2,702 COVID-19 hospitalizations.
How do you think we can stop the shortage of ICU hospital beds in Alabama? Tag us @thebamabuzz and let us know.
