During his press conference yesterday, Dr Scott Harris broke down as he detailed the strain on the health care system in Alabama due to COVID. There are literally no ICU beds left in the state, and there haven't been for over a week. If you need one, you're either left in a makeshift ICU bed in a hallway, or kept in the emergency room, further compounding the problem.

Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, with just 37.5% of the eligible population fully vaccinated. With schools reopening, more than 5000 students tested positive just last week. Testing shows a 23% positivity rate, one of the highest in the country.

So, things are not going to get better there anytime soon.

Source: WBRC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - In an emotional moment during his weekly COVID-19 update, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the state is in a crisis. He said even though he has said it before he wants people to understand this is a serious COVID-19 crisis when it comes to people getting sick, the strain on healthcare and people dying from the virus.

Harris said, “I don’t know how much longer we’re going to be able to do this.”
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Harris said the reality is we have negative ICU beds and that’s never happened before. Alabama has 40 more ICU patients than we have ICU beds. That means people are receiving ICU care in a hallway or in an ER.

‘I don’t know how much longer we can do this.’ In an emotional moment during his weekly COVID-19 update, Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the state is in a crisis. https://t.co/woV3bWGnRX pic.twitter.com/aVBWahrTIg

— WBRC FOX6 News (@WBRCnews) August 27, 2021