The effects of COVID 19 are not universal across the nation. It’s like a dose of flu for some, while others, mostly older people may become extremely ill. However, even they stand a good chance albeit with lingering side effects, as long as they can get to hospital. But there’s a double bind. Not all hospital beds are suitable for COVID-19 isolation and treatment. Now a new app lets you track your county COVID status online in terms of available beds.
The NPR Tool That Tracks Your County COVID Status Online
NPR has crunched new federal data revealing how many inpatient, and ICU beds are available on a weekly basis. It used the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management analysis of this to create an interactive map. Follow the link below, then scroll down to track your county COVID status online.
The map reveals how well individual counties and hospitals are coping in terms of available inpatient and ICU beds. But the key indicator is the ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds per hospital and county. Because they have to accommodate all the other types of patients too, and we don’t want the system to overflow.
How Your County And Its Hospitals Are Doing
There’s general consensus that when COVID-19 patients occupy more than 10% of beds it’s a warning, according to NPR news. Anything over 20% signifies ‘extreme stress’ for a hospital according to Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation IHME at University of Washington.
We’re alarmed to note how many counties exceed this, and by how much according to the NPR interactive model. Our hearts cry out to our health workers risking their lives every day to save others. Some of whom could perhaps have taken more care.
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Preview Image: Carlson School of Management Analysis
