COVID Causes Lack of ICU Beds in Alabama and Ambulance Shortages

Covid-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past three weeks, with 83,693 people hospitalized this week, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. 

There are no ICU beds left in the entire state of Alabama, the Alabama Hospital Association told CNN on Tuesday. “We in fact are in a negative 11,” Dr. Don Williamson, president of the association, told CNN affiliate WSFA. “In the Montgomery area we have eight more patients who are getting ICU care than we have designated ICU beds here. In other parts of the state, we have over 30 patients in hospitals, needing ICU care, who are not in a designated ICU bed.”

Alabama has 1,557 staffed intensive care unit beds and on Tuesday, there were 1,568 patients in need of ICU care, Williamson said. The Alabama Department of Public Health said 2,631 people are hospitalized with Covid-19 complications.

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The City of Mobile said it ran out of ambulances on Wednesday. The call for a ‘critical mass level zero’ was issued around noon. Local hospitals have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases causing ambulances to have nowhere to take emergency patients as emergency rooms are on diversion.

The alarm warns Mobile Fire-Rescue crews that if they need an ambulance, one isn’t available. If someone calls 911 they will get a response, but it just might not be an ambulance. Paramedics could arrive at a scene in a firetruck.

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With COVID-19, crews can’t quickly get patients out of ambulances and into the emergency room. And even when the hospital finally gets the patient inside, the ambulance crew still has to disinfect the equipment before it can go back in service.

Mobile Public Safety Director Lawrence Battiste said the city is trying to address the crisis, but options are limited. Ordinarily, the fire-rescue department could get help from neighboring ambulance companies. But they’re all experiencing the same difficulties. He says the city is buying more ambulances, but it’s not like you can pick one off of a car lot and drive it home.

“We’ve got ambulances on order, but as you know, across our country there have been delays in getting any type of equipment, whether it’s PPE or if it’s hard equipment like garbage trucks or if it’s hard equipment like police vehicles or ambulances – it takes time. So there is a delay,” Battiste said.