Hospitals across the nation are buckling under the surge in COVID-19 infections linked to the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus, with some states reporting their intensive care units are rapidly filling with patients, much like winter’s wave of cases before vaccines were readily accessible.
More than a quarter of the nation’s ICU beds in use are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to figures maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. But an increasing number of states have said their intensive care wards are reaching capacity, with 1 in 5 ICUs at or over 95% full nationwide, The New York Times reported.