'We Have No ICU Beds': Doctor Shares Concerns As COVID-19 Surge Continues In Gulf Coast States

Summer in the Gulf Coast states — Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida — is known for tourism. And this year's numbers do not disappoint.

But the influx of people, paired with some of the country's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, are causing a dangerous and sometimes deadly spike in infections, with transmission rates twice the national average.

Hospitals are buckling under the strain and intensive care unit beds are becoming a rare commodity. Among the hospitals racing to keep up with the influx of patients are three run by the Singing River Health System in Mississippi, all in the Gulfport area.

Here & Now's Celeste Headlee speaks with Dr. Randy Roth, chief medical officer at Singing River Health System.