Abstract
The risk of overwhelming hospitals from multiple waves of COVID-19 is yet to be quantified. Here, we investigate the impact of different scenarios of releasing strong measures implemented around the U.S. on COVID-19 hospitalized cases and the risk of overwhelming the hospitals while considering resources at the county level. We show that multiple waves might cause an unprecedented impact on the hospitals if an increasing number of the population becomes susceptible and/or if the various protective measures are discontinued. Furthermore, we explore the ability of different mitigation strategies in providing considerable relief to hospitals. The results can help planners, policymakers, and state officials decide on additional resources required and when to return to normalcy.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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COVID-19 / epidemiology*
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Delivery of Health Care / trends
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Health Facilities / trends
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Health Policy / trends*
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Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
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Hospitalization / trends*
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Hospitals / trends
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Humans
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Models, Statistical
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Pandemics / statistics & numerical data
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SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity
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United States / epidemiology
Grants and funding
This study was funded by the cooperative agreement 70NANB15H044 between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Colorado State University. The content expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of NIST or the U.S Department of Commerce. The George T. Abell Professorship discretionary funding provided support in the form of salary for author HNM.