Politics & Government
Florida Has Seen A Downward Trend In Hospitalizations For COVID-19
Florida hospitals experienced an influx of patients during the past month due to COVID-19 and the more contagious Delta variant.
With Florida hospitals experiencing an influx of patients during the past month due to COVID-19 and the more contagious Delta variant, the state is now seeing a decline in hospitalizations.
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday reported 12,651 inpatient beds in use for COVID-19 cases, a decrease from a previous report of 13,452. Those figures are based on 261 hospitals reporting.
The 13,452 figure was referenced earlier this week by Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Nikki Fried, who has been providing frequent updates on COVID-19 hospitalizations, cases and deaths. She posted the 13,452 figure Wednesday on her Twitter page.
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In Friday’s report from HHS, data show nearly 21.5 percent of inpatient beds are being used for COVID. Overall, there are 59,810 inpatient beds in the state and 49,920 are in use.
Meanwhile, there are 2,954 ICU beds in use for COVID-19 in Florida, as reported by 267 hospitals. That’s nearly 44 percent of the total staffed ICU beds of 6,823. Overall, there are 6,234 ICU beds in use.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been traversing the state, touting the effectiveness of monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID patients, though he has continued to mention vaccinations for residents.
“COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to decline at a rapid pace, dropping more than 20% in the last two weeks,” Mary C. Mayhew, president and CEO at the Florida Hospital Association, said in a written statement Wednesday.
“Thanks to increased vaccination…and Governor Ron DeSantis expanding the availability of Monoclonal Antibody Treatments for those Floridians who test positive, we anticipate COVID-19 hospitalizations could drop below last year’s peak in the coming weeks.”
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