“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories and debates.
What’s happening
The ongoing wave of coronavirus cases driven by the Delta variant has stretched hospitals in hard-hit areas of the country to their limit. Some patients are arriving at overwhelmed emergency rooms only to be transported hundreds of miles away for care. Others have suffered complications and even died waiting for beds in intensive care units to open up.
COVID-19 cases are up nationwide, but the crush of hospitalizations is concentrated mostly in states with low rates of vaccination. Alabama, one of the least-vaccinated states, spent most of the last month with no ICU availability within its borders.