Arkansasâs ICU beds run low as COVID-19 cases surge Arkansas Nonprofit News Network
December 23, 20204:29 pm MORE BEDS NEEDED: Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock is adding ICU beds in January and opening an alternate care site for COVID patients. Matt White
As COVID-19 spreads uncontrollably throughout Arkansas, the number of available intensive care unit beds is dwindling.
On Friday, Dec. 18, at 2 p.m., Arkansas hospitals had just 37 staffed ICU beds available statewide, the lowest figure recorded since the Arkansas Department of Health began tracking the number in daily reports. By Tuesday, it was up to 51, still a precipitous drop from recent weeks: The number of open beds fluctuated between 72 and 99 from Dec. 1 to Dec. 15.
As COVID-19 spreads uncontrollably throughout Arkansas, the number of available intensive care unit beds is dwindling.
At 2 p.m. Friday, December 18, Arkansas hospitals had just 37 staffed ICU beds available statewide, the lowest figure recorded since the Arkansas Department of Health began tracking the number in daily reports. By Tuesday, it was up to 51, still a precipitous drop from recent weeks: The number of open beds fluctuated between 72 and 99 from December 1 to December 15.
At times, some regions in the state have had only a handful of ICU beds available. A breakdown provided by the health department on Thursday, December 17, showed five of the stateâs seven regions had five or fewer ICU beds left. The 13-county North-Central Arkansas region had none at all.