No more Intensive Care Unit beds are available to coronavirus patients in Arkansas as a surge of delta variant COVID-19 cases in the state overwhelm the state’s health system, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday.
Hospitals are working to supply new beds for COVID-19 patients, Hutchinson said during a press conference. Patients infected with the disease take up approximately half of the ICU beds statewide, the Associated Press reported.
“Everyone should know the strain this puts on our hospitals and the need to get our vaccinations and how critical our bed space is,” Hutchinson said.
TEXAS TO BRING OUT-OF-STATE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS TO HELP OVERWHELMED HOSPITALS
Public health researchers estimate Arkansas’s death toll from the pandemic will exceed 7,000 by Aug. 30. As of Monday, 6,704 people out of 436,242 cases in Arkansas have died from the coronavirus.
A report issued Tuesday from researchers with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences also predicts the number of children hospitalized due to COVID-19 will increase by 20% through Aug. 30.
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The state is fifth in the country in new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Data show it also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with just under 40% of the population fully vaccinated.
