I deleted an earlier tweet since this was updated with additional details about how the hospitals propose to ration care.

Hospitals are asking the governor to approve standards as they expect to need to switch to triage protocols in the next two weeks. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/10/25/with-coronavirus-cases/

“..,those with high & worsening scores are the first to be transferred out of an ICU. If shortages worsen, hospitals should then consider transferring patients... Pregnant patients get priority & if 2 patients are equally eligible for an ICU spot, it goes to the younger patient.”

Part of the problem here is that Utah has an especially low per capita number of ICU units. Just around 500. And while our hospitalization rate has also been low, the sustained surge has created a capacity problem in dense population areas.

The state’s ICUs are around 75% full.

However, the ICUs in Salt Lake City and St. George are over already capacity (105%) and since these hospitals offer some of the highest standards of care in the state, that’s alarming.

There have been conversations about opening beds at the Expo center. But that won’t solve much

Because we simply don’t have the healthcare workers to staff overflow ICU beds no matter where we put them. We have plenty of vents. And plenty of critical care beds.

But since nearly half of hospitalized coronavirus patients are ending up in the ICU, we’re already in trouble.

This isn’t just happening in Utah but also in Texas and around the country in rural states where they’ve failed to take aggressive measures to control the virus spread.

The White House is pretending we’ve turned a corner but in actuality they’ve just given up on us. https://twitter.com/jeremyswallace/status/1320421052485406722