Only nine intensive care beds were available in the Twin Cities on Nov. 4 during a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to an article on the Star-Tribune website.
ICU bed space is scarce because caregivers were unavailable because of their own infections or exposures.
"We're at a red alert for ICU beds," Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said in the article.
A record 908 inpatient hospital beds in Minnesota were filled with COVID-19 patients, according to the Nov. 4 pandemic dashboard update.
Some nurses say their employers still aren’t giving them enough N95 masks, according to an article on an earlier Star Tribune article.
A survey of Minnesota nurses this summer found 49 percent felt unsafe with the N95 reuse policies in their workplace.
Read the full Star Tribune article.
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