Perhaps the impression is that normally these beds are sitting around empty, collecting dust. Certainly the MSM would like to reinforce that notion. That makes their exaggerated and spun numbers seem all the more dire.
Yet in less than 2 minutes I was able to find a National Institute of Health study that reads:
...data has also shown that between 2000 and 2005, national ICU occupancy rates ranged from 65% and 68% (1). In 2010, the average national ICU occupancy rate was 66%...
So yes, ICUs running in the 70% capacity range is a bump up. But if you compare this to normal occupancy rates it is just a few percentage points increase. This makes sense. ICU beds are expensive. Certainly expensive to stay in, but simply creating and maintaining them is an expensive proposition. A medical facility is not going create dozens of beds/bays if they are going to stand empty most of the time. They do capacity/use planning.
The numbers tell me we (as a Country) could typically add that delta over and above normal rates twice more. In other words we could triple the effect of the pandemic and not run out of beds - on average. Sure, there are going to be hot spots that do (or have) run at 100%.
...data has also shown that between 2000 and 2005, national ICU occupancy rates ranged from 65% and 68% (1). In 2010, the average national ICU occupancy rate was 66%...
So yes, ICUs running in the 70% capacity range is a bump up.
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Even without COVID, we should expect the occupancy rate to trend up along with the average age of the population, after statistical adjustment for any changes in hospital investment and doctor licensing. So the increase may not be due to that virus.
Hence why people are diagnosed with having died with COVID. They get more money for that.