Regional hospital bed availability drops to new lows

The number of hospital beds available in Nashville has been incrementally falling throughout most of July and now sits at its lowest level of the summer as hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across Middle Tennessee continue to rise. 

Nashville leaders have been optimistic about a potential stabilization of the city’s outbreak as COVID-19’s transmission rate and the 14-day new case trend indicate the virus' spread is slowing. The number of residents hospitalized with COVID-19 has also decreased in the past week, from a high of 222 to 179. But hospital bed availability within city limits continues to fall as the number of residents from surrounding counties requiring hospitalization grows. As of Thursday, only 12 percent of intensive care unit beds and 16 percent of inpatient beds remain available in the region.