A Baylor University medical researcher cautions that the United States is approaching “one of the most unstable times in the history of our country” as the nation struggles to bring the coronavirus under control, CNN reports.
Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, says the increasing number of cases around the nation, the exhaustion impacting health care workers, and the limit of ICU beds will come to a tipping point if the current course is not altered.
“We will have hospitals overwhelmed and not only in terms of ICU beds and hospitals — and that’s bad — but exhausted hospital staff and hospital staff that’s getting ill themselves,” Dr. Hotez told CNN Friday night. “So, we won’t have enough manpower, human power, to manage all of this.”
Many hospitals, particularly in Florida and Arizona, are reporting ICU bed space is hitting its limit. The US set a record in daily reporting of new coronavirus cases yesterday, topping the previous daily mark by nearly 20%. Additionally, the US has seen its 7-day average of new cases increase for more than 30 consecutive days.