COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging across the U.S., and healthcare providers in many states are reaching capacity.
Here are updates from five states:
1. Hospitals in Phoenix have begun diverting ambulances as hospital beds and ICUs fill with COVID-19 cases, according to the Arizona Republic. Arizona had 91 percent of ICU beds and 91 percent of all inpatient beds in use as of Dec. 28. The state said it hopes to avoid triaging patients based on likelihood for survival, as forecast models predict cases in Arizona will peak in mid-January.
2. COVID-19 cases are spiking again in California, and hospitals are filling to capacity. The CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles told CNN the hospital is treating patients in the gift shop and chapel because there are so many COVID-19 patients needing care. Dr. Elaine Batchlor said King hospital staff may have to ration care if cases continue to increase.
In Visalia, Calif., orthopedic surgeon Seth Criner, MD, said he has been unable to perform elective surgery at Kaweah Delta Medical Center and is taking some cases to Sequoia Surgery Center if patients are good candidates. Weekly cases have declined for Dr. Criner's practice since early December, when the hospital limited nonessential procedures, according to a report from ABC 30 Action News.
3. Dallas-based Parkland Memorial Hospital told the Dallas Morning News it was completely full on Dec. 29. Parkland reported 161 active COVID-19 cases and 60 recovering patients who needed hospital care to treat heart or lung damage. On Dec. 28, the Texas health department reported a new record of hospitalizations from COVID-19: 11,351, according to a CBS affiliate.
4. Georgia plans to reopen its field hospital at the Georgia World Congress Center Dec. 31 as the number of COVID-19 patients in the state hits a record high, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
5. In Memphis, Tenn., ambulances report waiting up to 12 hours outside hospitals to drop off patients as COVID-19 cases surge, according to News Channel 3, a CBS affiliate.