Share of I.C.U. beds occupied in each hospital More than 95% 90-95% Less than 90% No data Circle size is proportional to I.C.U. capacity. Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Ore. Vt. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Conn. R.I. Mich. Wyo. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ind. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Less than 90% No data More than 95% 90-95% Circle size is proportional to I.C.U. capacity. Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Ore. Vt. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Conn. Mich. R.I. Wyo. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Md. Ohio Del. Ill. Ind. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Less than 90% No data More than 95% 90-95% Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. Mass. S.D. N.Y. Conn. Mich. Wyo. R.I. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ind. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. · Notes: Some patient counts are not available because H.H.S. obscures weekly totals lower than four. Data is as of the week ending Sept. 9. Hospital locations are adjusted so that all hospitals are shown without overlapping.

Hospitals in the southern United States are running dangerously low on space in intensive care units, as the Delta variant has led to spikes in coronavirus cases not seen since last year’s deadly winter wave.

One in four hospitals now reports more than 95 percent of I.C.U. beds occupied — up from one in five last month. Experts say it can become difficult to maintain standards of care for the sickest patients in hospitals where all or nearly all I.C.U. beds are occupied.

In June, when Covid-19 cases were at their lowest level, less than one in 10 hospitals had dangerously high occupancy rates.

Share of I.C.U. beds occupied in each hospital service area More than 95% 90-95% Less than 90% No data Week ending July 1 Week ending Sept. 9 Wash. Wash. Maine Maine Mont. N.D. Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Vt. Ore. Minn. Minn. N.H. N.H. Idaho Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Conn. Mich. Conn. Wyo. Mich. Wyo. R.I. R.I. Pa. Iowa Pa. Iowa N.J. N.J. Neb. Neb. Nev. Nev. Md. Ohio Md. Ohio Ind. Del. Ill. Ind. Del. Ill. Utah Utah Calif. Calif. W.V. Colo. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. Ky. N.C. N.C. Tenn. Tenn. Okla. Okla. Ariz. Ariz. Ark. Ark. S.C. N.M. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ga. Ala. Ala. Miss. Miss. Texas Texas La. La. Fla. Alaska Fla. Alaska Hawaii Hawaii More than 95% 90-95% Less than 90% No data Week ending July 1 Week ending Sept. 9 Wash. Wash. Maine Maine Mont. N.D. Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Vt. Ore. Minn. Minn. N.H. Idaho N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Mich. Conn. Wyo. Mich. Wyo. Conn. R.I. R.I. Pa. Iowa Pa. Iowa N.J. N.J. Neb. Neb. Nev. Nev. Md. Ohio Ohio Ind. Del. Ill. Md. Ind. Del. Ill. Utah Utah Calif. Calif. W.V. Colo. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. Ky. N.C. N.C. Tenn. Tenn. Okla. Okla. Ariz. Ariz. Ark. Ark. S.C. N.M. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ga. Ala. Ala. Miss. Miss. Texas Texas La. La. Fla. Alaska Fla. Alaska Hawaii Hawaii More than 95% 90-95% Less than 90% No data Week ending July 1 Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Conn. Mich. Wyo. R.I. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Md. Ohio Ind. Del. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Week ending Sept. 9 Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Conn. Mich. Wyo. R.I. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Md. Ohio Ind. Del. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii More than 95% 90-95% Less than 90% No data Week ending July 1 Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. S.D. Mass. N.Y. Mich. Wyo. Conn. R.I. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Del. Ind. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Week ending Sept. 9 Wash. Maine Mont. N.D. Vt. Ore. Minn. N.H. Idaho Wis. N.Y. S.D. Mass. Mich. Wyo. Conn. R.I. Pa. Iowa N.J. Neb. Nev. Ohio Md. Ind. Del. Ill. Utah Calif. W.V. Colo. Va. Mo. Kan. Ky. N.C. Tenn. Okla. Ariz. Ark. S.C. N.M. Ga. Ala. Miss. Texas La. Fla. Alaska Hawaii Source: New York Times analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data ; Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. · Note: Shows seven-day average patient count by hospital referral region ending on date shown.

In Alabama, all I.C.U. beds are currently occupied. In recent days, dozens of patients in the state have needed beds that were not available, according to data published by the Department of Health and Human Services.

“It means they’re in the waiting room, some are in the back of ambulances, things of that nature,” said Jeannie Gaines, a spokesperson for the Alabama Hospital Association.

Alabama I.C.U. occupancy 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 60% of I.C.U. beds occupied 70% 80% 90% 95% Over 100% Week ending July 1 Week ending Sept. 9 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. · Note: Each circle represents one hospital. Circle size is proportional to I.C.U. capacity.

In Texas, 169 hospitals have I.C.U.s that are more than 95 percent full, up from 69 in June. There are only about 700 intensive care beds remaining across the entire state, according to recent data.

Hospitals in Houston constructed overflow tents last month to handle the influx of patients, and the rate of hospitalizations in the state is now 40 percent higher than when the tents were built.

Texas I.C.U. occupancy 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 60% of I.C.U. beds occupied 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. · Note: Each circle represents one hospital. Circle size is proportional to I.C.U. capacity.

Twenty-four hospitals in Florida reported having more I.C.U. patients last week than available beds.

During past surges, hospitals have been forced to improvise by having staff care for more patients than usual or by setting up temporary intensive care beds in other wings of the hospital.

Patients with critical conditions besides Covid, like heart attacks or strokes, can also have worse health outcomes when most beds are full.

Florida I.C.U. occupancy 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 50% of I.C.U. beds occupied 60% 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 60% of I.C.U. beds occupied 70% 80% 90% 95% Week ending July 1 Over 100% Week ending Sept. 9 Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data. · Note: Each circle represents one hospital. Circle size is proportional to I.C.U. capacity.

Unvaccinated Americans are 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid than the vaccinated, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several of the states with the highest rates of I.C.U. occupancy, including Alabama and Mississippi, are also among those with the lowest vaccination rates.

“Our biggest concerns are our low vaccination rates,” said Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer. “That’s the reason we’re in the situation that we’re in. Virtually all of our deaths are people who are unvaccinated.”

Hospitalizations among children under 18 are also higher than ever during this wave of the virus, driven largely by surges among children in the least vaccinated states.