Corona in the USA: Intensive care beds are running out again

The delta variant is rampant in the USA, with around 100,000 new infections per day. Operations are now to be postponed in Texas, and intensive care beds are becoming scarce in Arkansas. In both states, the vaccination rates are rather low.

In view of the latest corona wave, the US state of Texas has asked all hospitals to postpone medical interventions that are not absolutely necessary. This is to ensure that all Covid patients can be adequately cared for, said Governor Greg Abbott in a letter to the hospital association.

The Ministry of Health will also endeavor to recruit medical staff from other states to care for corona patients, it said. Disaster control is also to reopen infusion centers where patients can receive blood plasma treatments.

The governor had made it illegal to wear a mask

The situation in Texas has worsened significantly due to the particularly contagious delta variant of the corona virus. In the state with 29 million inhabitants, an average of around 12,000 new corona infections were recently reported per day, as data from the authorities show. According to this, around 9,000 Covid patients are currently being treated in hospitals.

The Republican Abbott had made corona requirements such as masking compulsory in the state illegal. In Texas, only around 44 percent of the population is currently fully vaccinated, while the vaccination rate nationwide is 50 percent.

Only eight ICU beds left in Arkansas

In other US states where vaccination rates are particularly low, such as Alabama, Arkansas and Florida, hospital admissions, primarily for unvaccinated Covid patients, have increased significantly.

The governor of Arkansas, Republican Asa Hutchinson, warned on Twitter that there are currently only eight beds available in the intensive care unit in the entire state. In the meantime, more Covid patients are being treated in hospital than ever before during the pandemic. Of the 1376 patients, 286 are connected to a ventilator. “Vaccinations reduce hospital stays,” he wrote.

Again around 100,000 new infections per day

The US authorities are now reporting an average of around 100,000 new infections per day. In June, before the delta variant caught on, it was only around 10,000 a day at times. On average, more than 450 people die every day after a corona infection, according to data from the CDC health authority.

Compulsory vaccination for US soldiers

On Monday, the US Department of Defense decided to make corona vaccinations compulsory for all soldiers from mid-September. More and more US companies are also requiring their employees to get vaccinated.