The continued decrease in Covid-19 cases has helped with an 0n-going crises faced by hospitals around Southern California – a lack of ICU beds. Without enough available ICU beds, a limited number of people can be admitted into the ICU to receive the required care and, therefore, the number of preventable deaths decreases.
In spite of efforts made to enforce the wearing of masks, establishment closures, and staying 6 feet apart; COVID from November through January continued to rise. With the increase in numbers, there was a need for more ICU beds specifically to treat patients with COVID. According to the LA Times, “The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern California hit 0%” and “conditions in hospitals are expected to erode further if the coronavirus continues to spread unchecked.” This prevents individuals from receiving the care they need and, furthermore, can lead to a decrease in preventable deaths. The New York Times provides the statistics of “1.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people.”
The shortage of beds and health care professionals make handling the virus significantly more difficult. Senior, Tiffany Yuen, believes one way to increase and improve the availability of ICU beds and care is by “making use of outdoor space and empty buildings, we could expand our ICU units and increase the number of patients they can take in. That way, we can deal with the issue of patients getting denied from admission just because they are too sick or not sick enough.” She also believes that “Although it’s really sad to say, I think it’s important that we give the care to the people who need it most first. However by expanding the ICU unit I’m hoping that doctors won’t have to face that issue.”