Study: Majority of states facing shortage of ICU doctors
A nurse evaluates a coronavirus COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit at Regional Medical Center on May 21, 2020 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to a new study from researchers at George Washington University, a majority of states in the U.S. will not have enough intensive care unit doctors as the coronavirus pandemic continues across the nation.
Data collected in the report shows that 26 states are at risk of having an inadequate amount of ICU doctors, with Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina listed as having an inadequate supply of ICU workers "at any demand."
The study says that New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut all have enough ICU doctors to provide adequate care, even in the case of a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Statistics also show that 10 states are at risk of running low on their supply of critical care nurses, nine states may face shortages in respiratory therapists, seven states are facing shortages in doctors trained to work in hospitals and six states are facing shortages in pharmacists.
The information comes as hospitals across the nation are continuing to fill due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the latest information from Johns Hopkins University, the number of daily coronavirus cases in the United States have been on the decline since recent spikes in July.