NE Among States With at Least 70% ICU Use

(KFOR NEWS December 7, 2021) Nebraska is in the majority when it comes to at least 70% use of Intensive Care Units for people being treated with COVID-19.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) only Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, South Dakota and Wyoming have less than 70% of ICU beds in use, as of Monday morning. A map tracking ICU bed utilization across the U.S. shows that the rest of the U.S., except for those five states, have 70 percent or more ICU beds currently in use. Rhode Island and New Mexico currently have the highest percentage of ICU beds in use, with 92 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

In addition to Rhode Island and New Mexico, at least six states have 85% or more ICU beds in use. These states include Kentucky (89%), Michigan (86%), Nebraska (89%), New Hampshire (86 %), Texas (86%) and Vermont (85%).

At least nine states have 30% or more ICU beds in use for COVID-19 patients. New Mexico currently has the highest percentage with 45%, followed by New Hampshire with 42%. The other states include Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and West Virginia.

The ICU bed utilization across the U.S. comes as COVID-19 cases have continued to increase. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of December 3, the U.S. was averaging around 106,132 new daily cases per week. In comparison, CDC data shows that in mid-October, the U.S. was averaging around 65,000 to 70,000 new daily cases per week.

Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that states such as Vermont, Iowa, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Kansas are all seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases.

While COVID-19 cases are increasing in numerous states, the Omicron variant continues to be detected in new states. As of Monday morning, the Omicron variant has been detected in Minnesota, California, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. All of the variant cases in these states are among those who are vaccinated against the novel virus.

The Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa and health officials are still working to determine the severity of the variant compared to others. During a recent appearance on CNN‘s State of the Union, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert said that early reports on the variant suggest that there is not “great degree of severity to it.”