BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2021 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — It is a mixed bag of COVID-19 news from the Florida Hospital Association.
While new admissions are finally trending down — for now — ventilator use for those who are hospitalized is remaining steady. The FHA says 18.2 percent of everyone hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida needs a ventilator to breathe. Based on current hospitalization numbers, that means 2,770 people are on vents.
Also steady: the percentage of patients in an ICU needing COVID-19 care. That’s 22.7 percent of all COVID patients.
“In the past week our hospitals have seen roughly a ten percent decrease in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and a dramatic reduction in daily new COVID-19 admissions,” said Mary C. Mayhew, President and CEO, Florida Hospital Association.
“The downward curve is significant, but we still have 50% more patients hospitalized now with COVID-19 than at the worst of the peak last year. Good news – yes! But we must keep up the battle against the virus and focus on vaccinations.”
The availability of hospital beds is still a concern. Just 15.2 percent of all hospital beds in Florida are available. Only 7.2 percent of ICU beds are available.
The FHA, in numbers different from what HHS reported using its own data, says 76 percent of Florida hospitals are experiencing a critical staffing shortage.
