Austin health officials warn there are 16 staffed ICU beds left for 2.3 million residents as COVID cases surge

Health officials in Austin, Texas, issued a dire warning on Friday: There are only about 16 staffed ICU beds left for the entire region, an 11-county area that's home to more than two million people. It's the lowest number of ICU beds available in the region since the pandemic began, the city said. 

"The latest COVID-19 spike is putting extraordinary pressure on our hospitals, emergency departments and healthcare professionals, and it has further challenged hospital staffing due to a longstanding nursing shortage," a group of hospitals said in a statement from the city.  All of the hospitals in Travis County — where Austin is located — and in 10 other counties are part of what the state calls Trauma Region O. Trauma Region O serves approximately 2.3 million people, according to the city's statement.