Lowest ICU bed availability in Colorado since pandemic began

Unvaccinated COVID-19 patients are causing extraordinary stress on Colorado hospitals, and fewer intensive-care unit beds are available in the state than at any time since the pandemic began, Gov. Jared Polis and state public health officials said during a Friday news briefing.

As of Thursday, available ICU beds in Colorado dropped below 200 to 197, according to Scott Bookman, the state’s COVID-19 incident commander.

There were more COVID hospitalizations during the winter surge of coronavirus infections, but as vaccines became available and Coloradans returned to their pre-pandemic lives, cases of trauma, heart attacks and other demands for ICU beds have combined with COVID cases to strain hospital resources.

“Our hospitals are beginning to put into place their surge plans,” Bookman said during the briefing. “I cannot stress enough the state that our hospitals are currently in today, the stress that they are feeling, the impact that this wave is having on them, and the absolute importance of getting vaccinated to end this pandemic.”

Read more: https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/lowest-icu-bed-availability-colorado/