COVID-19 hospitalizations

Karen hugs Tony in his wheelchair on April 14, 2022. They now live in Burlington, Wash., and their mobile home no longer exists on the island. They are grateful to be together after being separated for long periods of time during the pandemic.

For two years, this Washington island has grappled with the long reach of COVID

2:38pm May 18, 2022

The virus hit Whidbey Island early in 2020, and photojournalist Lynn Johnson was there. A million deaths later, we return to see how the pandemic has subtly but indelibly altered life there forever.

People line up to get tested for COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. More than 1 million positive COVID-19 tests were recorded in the U.S. on Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

More than 1 million Americans were diagnosed with COVID over the long holiday weekend

4:45pm January 04, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

The U.S. hit a new record high for infections in a single day on Monday, with 1,082,549 new cases recorded. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, but not at the same rate.

People in Singapore mask up to take a mass rapid transit train on Friday. Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. As of Sunday, 85% of its population was fully vaccinated.

Singapore will stop covering the medical bills of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients

3:10pm November 09, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Singapore's government will stop covering the cost of COVID-19 treatment for those who are "unvaccinated by choice" next month, citing the strain they are placing on its health care system.

ECMO is the highest level of life support — beyond a ventilator, which pumps oxygen via a tube through the windpipe into the lungs. Instead, the ECMO process basically functions as a heart and lungs outside of the body — routing the blood via tubing t

Across The COVID-Ravaged South, High-Level Life Support Is Difficult To Find

5:00am September 06, 2021

by Blake Farmer

ECMO, the highest level of mechanical life support, functions as a temporary heart and lungs for some of COVID-19's sickest patients. But the waitlist is too long for many patients who need it.

Hurricane Ida leaves downed power lines in its wake Monday in Metairie, La. The one-two punch of a natural disaster and the pandemic is complicating efforts to evacuate hospitals, seek shelter and administer COVID-19 vaccines.

Louisiana And Mississippi Were Overwhelmed By COVID-19 Cases. Then Ida Struck

5:29pm August 30, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

The storm and pandemic pose a dual threat. "I hate to say it this way, but we have a lot of people on ventilators today and they don't work without electricity," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

An emergency room nurse tends to a patient in a hallway last week at the Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in Houston.

More Than 100,000 People Are Hospitalized With COVID-19, The Most Since January

1:23pm August 26, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Hospitals are once again overwhelmed with coronavirus patients, reaching a level not seen since before the vaccine was widely available.

An ambulance arrives at the emergency department at AdventHealth hospital in Orlando in late July. Florida is one of several states seeing disappearing hospital capacity as COVID-19 cases surge.

Mississippi's Hospital System Could Collapse Within 10 Days Under COVID's Strain

5:53pm August 12, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

COVID-19 cases are overwhelming the South. Arkansas set a record for hospitalizations, while officials in one Florida county are urging residents to "consider other options" before calling 911.

Serious cases of COVID-19 have grown in recent weeks in Americans 50 and younger.

COVID 'Doesn't Discriminate By Age': Serious Cases On The Rise In Younger Adults

12:26pm May 01, 2021

by Will Stone

With older adults vaccinated, doctors say a growing share of their COVID-19 patients are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, as more contagious variants circulate among people who are still unvaccinated.

Queue Listen Now

Many hospitals, including Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., reported reaching capacity in their ICUs during the winter surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. These conditions, according to research, may have led to more deaths.

Health & Safety

Lessons From The COVID-19 Crisis: Overcrowding Hospitals Cost Lives

11:08am March 18, 2021

by Will Stone

Researchers have quantified the price paid for fast-spreading COVID-19 infections. Patients who might have survived otherwise perished in crowded ICUs.

Chart showing hospital stress levels as of week of Jan. 29

Many Hospitals Are Still Overwhelmed By COVID-19 Patients. Is Yours?

10:04am March 15, 2021

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to strain U.S. hospitals. NPR built a tool to explore trends around the country. Look up your local hospital to see how it's faring.