ICU tracker shows 71% occupancy at Washington state hospitals

Washington state’s intensive care units (ICU) are at 71% occupancy, according to a tracker built and maintained by the New York Times.

The national average for ICU occupancy sits at about 78%.

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Of course, 71% is an average for Washington state. Some hospitals have a much higher occupancy. For instance, Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett is at 98% with only one bed available, according to the tracker. It also reports there are 63 patients with COVID-19 at the medical center.

EvergreenHealth Medical Center in Kirkland, where many COVID-19 patients arrived early in the outbreak, is showing 93% occupancy with 26 COVID-19 patients. EvergreenHealth admitted several patients from Life Care Center of Kirkland in March. The nursing center began vaccinating residents and staff on Monday.

In Seattle, Harborview Medical Center’s occupancy is at 92% with 46 COVID-19 patients. The University of Washington Medical Center has the same number of COVID-19 patients, according to the tracker, but with 71% occupancy.

In Tacoma, St. Joseph Medical Center is at 96% occupancy, with 45 COVID-19 patients.

Not surprisingly, hospitals outside of the city have a much lower occupancy rate, but also fewer ICU beds available. They’re also reporting fewer patients with COVID-19. For instance, at Swedish Issaquah, the occupancy is at 38% with 13 COVID-19 patients and 43% at WhidbeyHealth Medical Center with one COVID-19 patient.

In Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center has a 96% occupancy with 51 COVID-19 patients. In Yakima, Virginia Mason Memorial is at 94% occupancy with 41 COVID-19 patients.

The New York Times says all information is collected weekly from the Department of Health and Human Services. Most recent data may not be available.

Additionally, the ICU beds could be limited by a limited number of available health care workers to tend to patients.

“I think the important thing about this current phase of the pandemic is it’s not so much the hospital capacity shortage that’s the issue. It’s really a shortage of personnel and healthcare workers,” Thomas Tsai, an assistant professor of health policy at Harvard University, told the New York Times.

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Gov. Inslee has recently said that hospitalizations are a better number to track (vs cases) to determine the impacts of COVID-19 on the state’s health care system. However, the curve often follows the cases as it sometimes takes several days for patients to be severely affected by the virus and to be admitted to a hospital.

The New York Times reports the national average for ICU occupancy increased from 67% in 2010 to 78%, currently. Despite that increase, health officials say sick people should not be discouraged from seeking care.

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