ray demonia lived his whole life in cullman, alabama. but he did not die there.e had a cardiac emergency that he suffered in cullman on august 23rd. but he ended up dying nine days later and 200 miles away from home in a hospital across state lines in mississippi. and here's why. here's why mr. demonia's warm, loving sweet obituary in his hometown paper is not just a local story about this loss for his family and cullman who will no longer get to enjoy his auctioneering antics. because when mr. demonia's family of him, they included this at the end, "in honor of ray please get vaccinated. in an effort to free up resources for non-covid related emergencies. due to covid-19 cullman emergency center staff contacted 43 hospitals in three states in search of a cardiac icu bed and finally located one in meridian, mississippi. he would not want any other family to go through what his did." i mean, for everyone who says that getting a vaccine is a personal choice that doesn't affect anyone else, line that up with ray demonia's obituary and what his family has just said a

ray demonia's family says it took calls to 43 hospitals across 3 states to get the 73-year-old a cardiac icu bed. he died in a facility in meridian, mississippi, 200 miles from his alabama home. relatives using his obituary to ask people to please get vaccinated to free up resources for non-covid related emergencies like his, adding ray "would not want any other family to go through what his did." >> the unvaccinated overcrowd our hospitals, are overrunning the emergency rooms and intensive care units, leaving no room for someone with a heart attack, or pancreatitis, or cancer. >> reporter: the president aiming to reach those nearly 80 million unvaccinated americans, mandating businesses with more than 100 employees to either require vaccinations or enforce weekly testing. that new sweeping measure met with swift criticism from at least 19 republican governors. >> this is an unprecedented assumption of federal mandate authority that really disrupts and divides the country. >> reporter: tonight, the u.s. surgeon general defending the president's actions. >> if we want our economy to be ba

having a hard time getting care because not far from where you are there is the story of one man, ray demonia, he was a 73-year-old man from alabama. he was having heart issues. i want to read you part of his obituary because his family is putting out this message. quote, in honor of ray, please get vaccinated if you have not. in an effort to free up resources for non-covid related emergencies. due to covid-19 local emergency staff contacted 43 hospitals in three different states in search of a cardiac icu bed and finally located one in mississippi. he would not want any other family to go through what his did. doctor, what would be your advice for someone that needs basic care yet is struggling to get it right now? >> i think this is not a new scenario and it's something we've been talking about since the beginning of covid. if you have an issue, if you think you have covid, contact your primary care physician and reserve the hospitals for only those patients who are truly experiencing an emergency situation. this is the favor we can do to the rest of georgia constituents and georgia citizen

this is ray demonia. two weeks ago he died of heart problems at a hospital in mississippi.ff reached out to 43 icus across three states only one hospital, 200 miles away from his home, had a bed available for him. he was just three days away from celebrating his 74th birthday. same story in idaho where covid is pushing rural health facilities to the brink. the situation so serious that some hospital patients are being treated in hallways and converted conference rooms here satisfies shaquille brewster. >> reporter: they say it is getting bad and only getting worse when you factor in high transmission in this community one in every four people who go to get a coronavirus test are coming back with a positive result a rise in cases is usually followed by a rise in hospitalizations at a point when doctors say emergency rooms are full hospitals are in crisis here they're considering rationing care you have state officials saying and warning residents to be extra careful during basic activities like driving or biking to avoid filling the emergency rooms more than they already are

ray demonia daughter telling the post today, dad we just want things to get back to normal.eople would just realize the strain on hospital resources that's happening right now, that would really be amazing. but i don't know if that will ever happen. joining us now is doctor jeanne maraude, so the director at -- university of alabama burning him. doctor, it's an honor having you with. us thank you for your time. >> my pleasure, rachel that it's good to see you. >> you are warning a month ago, that alabama was out of icu beds. you warned publicly that if things continue the way they were going, you said that this month could be apocalyptic. how are things in alabama right now? it feels like the icu kept pasadena has been negative for a while. >> right, exactly, we're not used to that term. some people took it in the literal biblical sense. when i was really referring to, was a breakdown of a social order. a breakdown of our ability to expect that we as a community, especially medical community can care for each other. if your father, like mr. demonia, is in need of acute care