DeSantis expects Florida’s COVID-19 hospitalizations to fade in coming weeks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis touted Florida’s COVID-19 effect Tuesday, adjacent arsenic the authorities acceptable a grounds for the fig of radical hospitalized with the unwellness for the 3rd time successful a row.

The politician said he’s been keeping tabs connected the fig of exigency country visits for COVID-like illness, which helium views arsenic the champion indicator of the toll the microorganism is taking connected Floridians. He said helium expects that fig to fall, followed by infirmary admissions and different metrics specified arsenic cases.

“That is plateauing, the fig of infirmary admissions person slowed. I don’t deliberation we’ve reached a highest yet, but I deliberation we’re going to settee successful hopefully this week oregon adjacent week,” DeSantis told reporters during a South Florida quality conference.

Data released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services amusement Florida’s hospitals are treating 11,515 patients for COVID-19, 2,400 of them successful intensive attraction units. That’s compared to a erstwhile grounds of 10,389 hospitalizations the authorities acceptable Monday.

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The data’s merchandise comes arsenic wellness systems passim the authorities instrumentality bonzer steps to support up with the fig of incoming patients, from placing infirmary beds successful hallways, limiting visitation and delaying surgeries for non-emergency procedures.

Among the hospitals grappling with an influx of patients is Mayo Clinic, which notified the Agency for Health Care Administration connected Sunday it has exceeded its capableness of 304 licensed beds “due to the important summation successful COVID-19 inpatients.”

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Now, the infirmary said, immoderate patients are being treated successful unlicensed beds.

The politician said his medication volition not enforce immoderate restrictions, specified arsenic disguise mandates for schools oregon limits connected however businesses operate, saying they bash not enactment erstwhile it comes to containing the spread.

Those remarks were connected connection for DeSantis, who has consistently voiced his absorption to immoderate effort to necessitate masks successful schools. Most recently, helium signed an executive bid banning schoolhouse districts from issuing disguise mandates, oregon other they could suffer authorities funding.

“We’re not shutting down. We’re going to person schools open. We’re protecting each Floridian’s occupation successful this state. We’re protecting tiny businesses. These interventions person failed clip and clip again, not conscionable successful the United States but abroad. They person not stopped the spread,” the politician said.

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“And peculiarly with (the delta variant), which is adjacent much transmissible, if it didn’t halt it before, it decidedly ain’t going to halt it now.”

DeSantis said Florida’s champion defence against COVID-19 is simply a operation of the immunity that the state’s colonisation volition physique up implicit clip and its seniors-first attack to vaccinations, which prioritized giving shots to the aged and semipermanent attraction facilities.

“Look, astatine the extremity of the day, would I alternatively person 5,000 cases among 20-year-olds oregon 500 cases among seniors? I would alternatively person the younger, due to the fact that of the effect it has,” the politician said.

DeSantis lashed retired astatine the media and unnamed “experts,” characterizing quality sum of the fig of hospitalizations arsenic “hysteria” and “fearmongering.” He said helium did not privation to spot a repetition of 2020 erstwhile radical with emergencies, specified arsenic bosom attacks oregon stroke, refused to spell to the hospital.

The politician noted that Jackson Health System successful South Florida is seeing fractional the fig of COVID-19 patients arsenic it was astatine the aforesaid clip past year. He said the fig of patients elsewhere are a fraction of the wide fig of infirmary beds.

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“Our hospitals are unfastened for business,” helium said.

DeSantis did not notation Jacksonville, which has seen its hospitalizations for COVID-19 soar successful caller weeks.

Mayo Clinic has activated its surge capableness program aft surpassing its furniture capacity.

Baptist Health’s 5 Northeast Florida hospitals are present treating 504 COVID-19 patients combined, oregon 39 percent of its wide furniture capacity, which includes 1190 licensed beds and an additional100 beds it has successful lawsuit of a surge.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 patients inhabit 239 (or 34%) of UF Health Jacksonville’s 695 full beds.

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