Dozens of Florida intensive care units are full. Texas and Arizona hospitals are quickly filling up, too.

At least 56 intensive care units in Florida hospitals have reached capacity, another 35 Florida hospital ICUs are at least 90 percent full, and 17 more hospitals have run out of regular beds, Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) said Tuesday night. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the state is sending 100 nurses and nearly 50 more beds to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, though he also said in a news conference Tuesday that Florida hospitals have "abundant capacity." In Florida overall, AHCA says, 21 percent of hospital beds and 16 percent of ICU beds are open.
A nurse at West Palm Beach's Good Samaritan Medical Center told The Washington Post some nurses there are working 18-hour days due to staffing shortages and patients are being treated in curtained open areas of the hospital. "We're overfilled and understaffed," the nurse said. "It's really bad." (Hospital spokesman Ryan Lieber said no employees are being asked to work 18-hours shifts and "patients are being treated in areas of the hospital which are considered appropriate for their care, and respectful of their privacy at all times.")
The U.S. topped 3 million COVID-19 cases Tuesday and the death toll surpassed 131,000, and Florida isn't the only state to see a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations. Arizona is rapidly approaching full ICU capacity, too, as are hospitals in Houston and San Antonio, Texas.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation coronavirus model often cited by the White House raised its projected U.S. death toll Tuesday to 208,000 fatalities by November, though it said up to 45,000 of those lives could be saved if 95 percent of Americans wore a face mask in public.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
US foodies brace for tariff war
Under The Radar Shoppers stocking up on imported olive oil, maple syrup and European wine as price hikes loom
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How Canadian tariffs could impact tourism to the US
In the Spotlight Canadians represent the largest group of foreign visitors to the United States. But they may soon stop visiting.
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Entitlements: DOGE goes after Social Security
Feature Elon Musk is pushing false claims about Social Security fraud
By The Week US Published
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published