Hospitals in half of US states close to capacity as Omicron continues surge

Hospitals in nearly half of US states are nearing capacity, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, as the Omicron variant has triggered a record number of cases across the country.

In 18 states at least 85% of adult intensive care unit beds were in use, while in 24 states at least 80% of staffed hospital beds were occupied, HHS data shows.

Alabama, Missouri, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin are among the states suffering a particular shortage of ICU beds.

In Texas, which this week set a new record for Covid-19 cases reported in a single day, with 75,817 total new cases, more than 92% of ICU beds are occupied, according to HHS, 34.3% of the beds occupied by Covid-19 patients.

In Wisconsin 90.6% of ICU beds are occupied, 41.4% of those with Covid-19 patients. Rhode Island and Alabama each has more than 91% of ICU beds occupied. The New York Times first reported on the HHS data.

The south has been hit particularly hard by the new variant, with states continuing to report record case numbers amid serious concern around hospital staff shortages.

On Thursday Joe Biden said 1,000 members of the military will be dispatched to help mitigate staffing crunches at hospitals across the country, with many facilities struggling because their workers are in at-home quarantines due to the virus at the same time as Covid-19 cases have surged.

The US leads the world in the daily average number of new infections reported, accounting for one in every three infections reported worldwide, according to a Reuters tally. Data suggests cases may be beginning to plateau in New York and the east coast after extraordinary surges.

Alabama state reported a record number of children hospitalized with coronavirus this week, due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. At least 60 children had been hospitalized with 13 receiving treatment in intensive care.

The state has recorded a number of record case highs throughout January as officials continue to urge all those eligible to receive the Covid vaccine.

Vaccination rates in Alabama also remain low, with just 48% of the population fully vaccinated.

On Thursday, the supreme court blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job.

Biden has pledged to deliver 1bn free at-home test kits to Americans, as a test kit shortage across the country continues to hamper efforts to control the Omicron variant. Biden said a website where people can request tests will launch next week.

The White House said Friday that 500 million at-home rapid tests would be available to order online on 19 January and would be mailed directly to American households free of charge.

In New York City, the number of new cases has flattened in recent days, the New York Times reported, while New Jersey and Maryland have seen a slight decrease in the number of infections.