Hospital ICUs reaching breaking point

Hospitals report that more than three-quarters of the intensive care units in the United States are full, as COVID-19 continues to rampage the country.

Earlier: HHS data from Tuesday found almost 77.3 percent of all ICU beds filled, with almost half of states surpassing three-fourths capacity.

Update: The data updated late Wednesday showed that more than 79 percent of all ICU beds were occupied with 28 percent of all beds filled with confirmed COVID-19 patients. Now, 29 states report their hospitals’ ICUs have exceeded 75 percent capacity.

Alabama has surpassed its ICU capacity as hospitals report 1,628 patients in ICU units, amounting to 102.5 percent of the state’s ICU beds.

Other states are nearing their limit for ICU beds, with Florida, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana all at least 90 percent full.

In all states but New Jersey, the majority of ICU beds are filled. The units in several hard-hit states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, are flooded with mostly COVID-19 patients.

Significance: The high percentage shows that many hospitals are approaching or reaching their capacity to take care of the sickest patients, even as national hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to climb.

Health professionals have expressed concern that the current wave of hospitalizations could overwhelm the health care system as many hospitals deal with staff shortages amid burnout.