Alabama Hospitals Have Run Out Of ICU Beds As COVID-19 Cases Surge

Alabama hospitals have run out of ICU beds as COVID-19 cases spike there, putting a renewed strain on the state's health care system.

There were negative 29 intensive care unit beds available on Wednesday night, according to the Alabama Hospital Association and the Alabama Department of Public Health. That means there were 29 more patients in need of ICU care than there were beds available.

"We've never been here before. We are truly now in uncharted territory in terms of our ICU bed capacity," AHA President Donald Williamson told WSFA 12 News on Tuesday.

The recent run on hospital beds, reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, is occurring largely in states with the lowest vaccination rates.

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As of Tuesday, only 12% of patients in Alabama hospitals were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Williamson said. "This could've been prevented if we'd gotten vaccination numbers to higher levels," he added.

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029260134/alabama-hospitals-icu-beds