Hospital and intensive care unit capacity are statistics that describe the burden of COVID-19 disease in a particular community. These rates are usually expressed as a percentage: the number of occupied beds divided by the number of total beds
Hospitalization rates, on the other hand, refer to the number of people in a specific area who are hospitalized after a diagnosis of COVID-19. The rate of those admitted is compared to the total population of a given area like a county, state, or country. It’s important to note, however, that hospital capacity is not just a matter of beds, but of staff available to care for patients.
