COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hospital capacity throughout Ohio continues to shrink and the burden of COVID-19 weighs heavy.
Eye on Ohio: Ohio Center for Journalism has tracked the number of available Med/Surg [regular] hospital beds as well as the number of beds within intensive care units throughout Ohio since the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Eye on Ohio reported 854 available Med/Surg beds across the state on Sept. 17 — 140 less than what was reported seven days prior.
Capacity within ICUs continues to shrink. Despite setting a record low of 224 on Sept. 10, another record was set for this past week as only 179 ICU beds were available on Sept. 17.
"Our hospital beds are extremely stressed right now, particularly ICU beds. Our ICU beds hit a new lowest low for the number of staffed beds that are available. Last week in the entire state we only had between 329 and 179, so extremely low number and we're having staffing shortages as well, which is affecting that." executive director Lucia Walincus said.
Walinchus said COVID-19 infections account for 22% of all ICU admissions.
Eye on Ohio fought the state for access to the number of available hospital beds and other equipment related to COVID-19. The organization filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims of Ohio to obtain the requested information.
In Nov. 2020, Judge Patrick M. McGrath ruled the Ohio Department of Health must provide that data.
Click here to view the latest data from Eye on Ohio.