Some hospitals in Idaho and New Mexico are just weeks away from needing to activate crisis standards of care as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to swell in each state, health officials said.
Many New Mexico hospitals have been operating under contingency standards of care as they grapple with capacity constraints and nursing shortages, New Mexico acting Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said during an Aug. 17 news conference, according to USA Today.
While not every hospital in the state is overwhelmed, Dr. Scrase said some were "two to four weeks away" from activating crisis standards of care, meaning they can no longer provide the maximum level of care due to scarce resources and high demand.
As of Aug. 17, there were 341 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in New Mexico, up from 180 patients two weeks prior.
In Idaho, some hospitals are two weeks away from implementing crisis standards of care, the Idaho Statesman reported Aug. 18. Elke Shaw-Tulloch, administrator for the Idaho Division of Public Health, said the state's crisis standards of care committee is meeting later this week to review protocols in case they need to be activated.
Sixty-five patients in the state were on ventilators as of Aug. 17, more than any other day during this winter's COVID-19 surge, according to state epidemiologist Christine Hahn, MD.