US coronavirus: These 5 states have less than 10% of ICU beds left as Covid-19
In Georgia, the CEO of Northeast Georgia Health Systems said it had 287 Covid patients Monday morning, which is more than the hospital has had since January.
“So, in essence, our hospitals are full,” Carol Burrell said. “We’re looking to add space in hallways and conference rooms in waiting areas. Our emergency rooms and our urgent care centers are seeing higher volume than they’ve seen throughout this pandemic,” she said.
Hospitals around the country have been stretched as cases have picked back up, but the South, where vaccinations have been lagging, has been particularly hit. Many hospitals have been reporting oxygen shortages.
On Monday, data presented by a vaccine adviser from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a hospitalization rate 16 times greater in the unvaccinated population than in those vaccinated.
“This to me seems to be a strong indication that the current epidemiologic curve that we’re seeing is really a reflection of failure to vaccinate, not vaccine failure,” said Dr. Matthew F. Daley at the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting.
The effect of the low vaccination levels can be seen in Kentucky, where hospitals are overwhelmed with record numbers of Covid-19 patients and 58 of the 96 hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.
“We’re living in a reality where some Covid patients who are sick are being treated in their cars when there isn’t room for them inside the ER or inside the hospital,” Beshear said.
And Mississippi is also struggling, with only nine ICU beds available in the state, Mississippi Department of Health Senior Deputy and Director Jim Craig said Monday.
With increased hospitalizations, more deaths have followed. The Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition has purchased a total of 14 portable morgues to help with the “unprecedented” number of Covid-19 deaths in the region, the organization told CNN.
The number of rising cases has also been seen in children, with the number of children testing positive for Covid-19 earlier this month reaching levels not seen since last winter, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The rise in children’s infections is worrying experts as parents and students prepare for a new school year.
Thousands of students in quarantine
Health experts have been particularly concerned about how cases will trend as school gets underway; and with many regions early in their academic year, thousands of students are already back in quarantine.
In Florida’s 15 largest school districts, at least 21,869 students and 4,481 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of school, according to a CNN analysis.
At least another 45,024 students and staff members have been quarantined or put on “stay home” directives due to possible exposure to Covid-19. That’s an increase of 62% since CNN’s last update on Thursday afternoon.
In Texas, after just the first two weeks of school in the Fort Worth Independent School District, more than 3,000 students have been quarantined due to close contact with individuals who tested positive for Covid-19.
The district announced a mask mandate earlier this month for all…
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