BOISE, Idaho: Public health officials in Idaho have warned that they will need to impose an emergency-level rationing of care for the state, as hospitals are overwhelmed by an influx of non-inoculated COVID-19 patients.

The areas of southwest and south Idaho, comprising Boise and Twin Falls, could be permitted to limit the availability of medical care for its residents, providing hospital beds to those with a greater likelihood of survival, in a bid to ration diminishing supplies, such as beds in ICUs, Director at Idaho’s DHW Dave Jeppesen stated on Sept 14.

“We continue to set new records each week,” he said, in connection with the number of people hospitalized with Covid, as quoted by Reuters.

“We do not see a peak in sight,” Jeppesen added.

Hospitals located in the northern section of Idaho have been allowed to ration health care since the second week of September, when Idaho’s Kootenai Health began treating COVID-19 patients at a field hospital built in a conference center, rather than in hospitals.

“Nearly all the metrics we track are trending in the wrong direction,” said Dr Kathryn Turner, a public health expert, she told Reuters.

Four days ago, Idaho recorded over 600 COVID-19 hospitalizations, surpassing the peak recorded in the winter of 2020 when 466 individuals were admitted to hospitals. The number of COVID-19 patients in ICUs and on ventilators is also reaching an all-time high in Idaho. Most of these patients, reaching over 91 percent, have not been inoculated against COVID-19.