What happens when we run out of ICU beds?

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277723

But all this is an illusion – a dangerous illusion. So far, there are “just” 31 people in serious condition in our hospitals. There are enough ICU beds to go around, enough ventilators, and enough critical care staff to provide the best that Western medicine can offer. Even when a patient is in critical condition, there are still enough life support machines to pull them back from the brink. That’s probably why the mortality rate from coronavirus that we’re currently seeing is so low. It’s still worse than the rate from influenza, but it’s not shocking most people as disastrous or unprecedented.

The real extent of the crisis will only be seen when we reach a stage where we don’t have enough critical care beds for coronavirus patients in serious condition. This is what’s already happening in Italy and Spain, and that’s why the mortality rates there have increased dramatically. If someone in serious condition is provided with assisted respiration then he has a good chance of recovering, especially if he’s still young, but even if he is older. However, if such a person is left untreated, his chances of surviving – even if he’s still young – drop significantly, and for an elderly patient, it’s virtually a death sentence.