The surge in the delta variant of the virus, combined with low vaccination rates, has pushed hospitals to the brink in many states and resulted in a desperate scramble to find beds for patients. That means they have very few free beds to offer to patients from small rural hospitals without ICUs or from medical centers in virus hotspots. Unlike the winter surge, hospitals this summer were already strained because emergency room volumes are back to pre-pandemic levels and patients are catching up on care they put off. Dr. Richard Watson, founder of Motient, said Kansas patients are being sent as far away as Wisconsin Illinois, Colorado and Texas. Hospital spokeswoman Shannon Hitchcock said Washington state hospitals are full, so Prosser patients are being sent as far away as eastern Idaho — 600 miles (965.61 kilometers) away.

Source: ABC News August 18, 2021 19:18 UTC