Hospitals in the South US ran very low in the space in the intensive care unit, because the Delta variant has caused nails in a case that was not seen since the deadly winter wave last year.
One in four hospitals now reported more than 95% of the ICU beds occupied – up from one in five months ago.
Experts say it can be difficult to maintain treatment standards for the painful patients in hospitals where all or almost all ICU beds are occupied.
In June, when the Covid-19 case was at their lowest level, less than one in 10 hospitals had a very high occupancy rate.
In Alabama, all ICU beds are now occupied.
In Texas, 169 hospitals have an ICU which is more than 95% full, up from 69 in June.
There are only around 700 ICU beds left throughout the state.
Hospitals in Houston built excessive tents last month to handle the entry of patients, and the inpatient level in the country is now 40% higher than when the tent was built.
In Florida, 24 hospitals reported having more ICU patients last week than the beds available.
Patients with critical conditions other than Covid, such as a heart attack or stroke, can also have worse health outcomes when most beds are full.