NOAA/Handout via Reuters
- As Hurricane Ida approached land, some hospitals were low on oxygen, Bloomberg Law reported.
- Health officials in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and South Carolina told CNN they were running low.
- On Sunday morning, Hurricane Ida was about 75 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
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Some southern hospitals had less than 24 hours worth of oxygen supply in reserve as COVID-19 rose and Hurricane Ida made its way toward land, reports said.
Premier Inc., a healthcare supply company, told The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that supply was low, Bloomberg Law reported.
A public affairs staffer at Premier said there was "so much more demand for oxygen than there ever has been," Bloomberg reported.
State health officials in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and South Carolina said some hospitals were at risk of running out of oxygen, CNN reported.
On Wednesday, The Florida Hospital Association said there were 68 local hospitals with less than 48 hours of oxygen available, according to WMFE, an NPR station in central Florida.
The National Hurricane Center early Sunday issued an advisory saying the Category 4 hurricane had strengthened and was about 75 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
President Joe Biden on Saturday approved an emergency declaration for Mississippi, The White House said in a statement.
Biden spoke with officials from the Hurricane Center and FEMA on Saturday, The White House said.
"They discussed the precautions that are being taken at the mega shelters the American Red Cross is opening to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including masking, rapid testing, and social distancing," The White House said in a readout of the call.
The American Red Cross said in its own statement that it had about 500 volunteers working on support for those in Ida's path. The organization was prepping shelters in states from Texas to Florida, it said.