| As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations soar across the country, some areas are running out of its oxygen supply. Some of the hospitals in Texas, Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina are among those struggling with supply.
“Normally, an oxygen tank would be about 90% full, and the suppliers would let them get down to a refill level of 30-40% left in their tank, giving them a three to five day cushion of supply,” Donna Cross, who is the senior director of facilities and construction at Premier — a health care performance improvement company — explained. “What’s happening now is that hospitals are running down to about 10-20%, which is a one to two day supply on hand, before they’re getting backfilled.”
As of Saturday, Florida had the highest hospitalization rate in the country. According to data from federal health officials, the state recorded 75 patients with COVID-19 per 100,000 residents.
“We’re seeing the patients die faster with this (delta) variant,” said Dr. Ahmed Elhaddad, who is the ICU medical director at Jupiter Medical Center in Florida. “This round, we’re seeing the younger patients — 30, 40, 50-year-olds — and they’re suffering. They’re hungry for oxygen, and they’re dying. Unfortunately, this round they’re dying faster."
Florida has fully vaccinated more than 50% of its total population, which is similar to the national average.
Meanwhile in Louisiana, Hurricane Ida threatens an area with a low vaccination rate. New Orleans hospitals are planning to ride out the storm. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Saturday more than 2,450 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state. He added shelters would operate at a lower capacity to "reflect the realities of COVID."
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