A coming storm: We all know by now that flattening the curve is one of the most important things we can do to mitigate the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic. China and Italy provided a grim picture of what happens when you’re unsuccessful: overwhelmed hospitals are forced to choose which patients receive life-saving resources, overworked doctors are more likely to get sick, and the death rate, by consequence, increases dramatically. Many hospitals in the US are about to face the same fate.
Some data: We have charted how many times each state's maximum projected need for ICU beds will exceed its available capacity. You can see that Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island will be the most overwhelmed. Fortunately, other states that continue social distancing as they are should avoid the worst fates. Go and see the graphs for yourself.
—Karen Hao
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