Alabama Just Saw The Worst Week Since Winter For Covid Cases And Hospitalizations Since Winter. Photo Via Amanda Chambers For Uab Medicine — Grace Marett, RN (Registered Nurse, Medical Nursing), Shelby Roberts, RN (Registered Nurse, Medical Nursing), and Meghan Kelly (Certified Respiratory Therapist, Respiratory Care) are wearing personal protective equipment while tending to a COVID-19 patient being treated at UAB Hospital for COVID-19. Photo via Amanda Chambers for UAB Medicine

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

Medical Experts At Uab Advise To Wear Masks If You Are Unvaccinated Or At A Large Gathering. Photo Via Uab Medicine — Medical experts at UAB advise wearing personal protective equipment whether if you are unvaccinated or vaccinated to prevent the spread of the Delta variant. Photo via UAB Medicine

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

We are all dealing with COVID-19. Consider your health care heroes. Photo via Huntsville Hospital’s website

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.