As the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise in Florida, the state is facing a shortage of available ICU beds. On Tuesday, when there were more than 7,300 new cases of the coronavirus reported, officials also reported that out of the state’s 5,023 ICU beds in the state, just 962 are still available.
Out of Florida’s 67 counties, 25 have at least one hospital with no ICU beds available as of Tuesday. Ten counties have less than 10% of their ICU beds available, and two counties have completely run out of adult ICU beds.
More than 213,700 people in Florida have been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. At least 3,841 people in the state have died.
In Miami-Dade County, which accounts for the majority of the state’s cases with more than 51,000, nine hospitals have run out of ICU beds. Jackson Memorial Hospital has less than 9% of its 185 ICU beds available, and some patients have had to wait up to 24 hours to get one of the remaining beds. The hospital is also facing staffing shortages.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez issued an emergency order Monday that will allow gyms to stay open with some social distancing restrictions, but will close indoor dining and banquet halls. The order takes goes into effect Wednesday.
Despite the surge in cases, the state is still pushing ahead with some of its reopening plans. On Monday, Florida issued an emergency order that requires all “brick-and-mortar” schools to reopen full-time in August.
Nearly 3 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins, and some states are struggling to keep up with care, while minimizing the spread. A new study indicates that asymptomatic carriers may be responsible for half of the coronavirus cases.
Arizona is also running low on hospital beds, and health care workers in the state are once again running low on PPE. Hospitalizations have soared to 90% in California. Texas officials have also expressed fear that they could join Florida, California, and other states in running out of room in its hospitals.
David Begnaud contributed reporting.
