BUT GENERAL COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE DOWN IN THE COUNTY
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — In a dramatic drop from just a day ago, Palm Beach County’s ICU availability is just 21-percent as of 7:01 a.m. Wednesday. Health officials say anything under 25-percent is cause for concern. Availability was near 30-percent just a few days ago.
Whether the sudden spike is related to COVID-19 or not is unclear but also irrelevant. If you need a bed and one doesn’t exist, it doesn’t matter why it is being used.
From the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration:
BETHESDA WEST: 11 Adult ICU beds in use, 0 available.
WELLINGTON: 31 Adult ICU beds in use, 3 available (8.82-percent).
WEST BOCA MEDICAL CENTER: 16 Adult ICU beds in use, 0 available.
DELRAY MEDICAL CENTER: 43 Adult ICU beds in use, 7 available (14-percent).
JFK MEDICAL CENTER: 8 Adult ICU beds in use, 2 available (20-percent).
BOCA RATON REGIONAL: 24 Adult ICU beds in use, 21 available (30-percent).
BETHESDA EAST: 23 Adult ICU beds in use, 16 available. (41.03-percent).
There are currently 7,863 people hospitalized in Florida for the primary diagnosis of COVID-19. In Palm Beach County the number is 476 — a significant DROP from previous days. By comparison, 1,103 people are hospitalized in Broward County for COVID-19, 1,718 in Miami-Dade. While South Palm Beach County residents may be in a Broward hospital, it is unlikely that they would travel to Miami-Dade for medical care.
The State of Florida is not releasing data that pinpoints how many ICU patients are being treated for COVID.
The overall hospital bed situation in Palm Beach County is slightly less bleak. Data reports that 29.51-percent of all hospital beds (this includes non-ICU general care beds) are available as of early Wednesday morning.
