QuoteWizard: “The emergence of the delta variant of COVID-19 is once again putting a major strain on health care systems nationwide. One of the primary concerns during the pandemic is the ability of each state’s hospitals to handle a growing number of cases. If there are too many cases in a short period of time, hospitals can run out of beds and their capacity to treat people diagnosed with COVID-19 can be overwhelmed. Our team of analysts looked at each state’s number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds, staffing shortages and number of physicians to see which states are least prepared for another surge in cases.

Key findings:

• Over 77% of ICU beds across the country are currently being used.
• Nearly 25% of hospitals are dealing with critical staffing shortages.
• Georgia, Texas and Idaho currently have the least prepared hospitals.
• More than 90% of ICU beds in five southern states are being used.
• Florida, Texas and Georgia have the highest numbers of pediatric patients in the hospital with COVID-19.
• Nationwide, there are an average of 2.96 physicians and .32 ICU beds per 1,000 people…”