Intensive care units (ICUs) in Southern hospitals are running “dangerously low” on space as the delta variant creates COVID-19 surges across the region. According to the New York Times, one in four U.S. hospitals reports more than 95% of ICU beds are currently occupied. A separate article in Kaiser Health News reveals ECMO—the highest level of life support—is also in short supply across the South because the treatment requires one-on-one nursing and staff shortages abound. The surge in COVID-19 patients is also crowding out care for other urgent conditions. ProPublica reported this week on the case of a boy whose appendix burst while awaiting care in a Florida emergency department. (NYT article, 9/14/21)
