Florida COVID update: Hospitalizations drop for first time in 2 weeks as ICU usage rises

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

After breaking a pandemic record with nearly 26,000 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, Florida had some good news to share on Sunday: the number of hospitalizations due to the virus fell for the first time in two weeks.

Florida reported 15,985 COVID-19 patients on Sunday compared with 16,100 current hospitalizations the day before, the 14th consecutive increase, according to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services data. One fewer hospital reported data, so the average COVID-19 patients per hospital inched lower to 62.2 from 62.4.

But a negative trend continued, with the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units rising. Those patients now account for over half of the state’s ICU bed usage, reaching 50.1% on Sunday.

As of 8 p.m. on Sunday, the CDC hadn’t reported Saturday’s new COVID case totals for Florida. On Saturday, the state reported 27 new deaths. Florida — which makes up about 6.5% of the U.S. population — accounted for 18.5% of the country’s new cases on Friday based on data the state is reporting to the CDC.

In this Aug. 9, 2021 photo, a 14-year-old boy gets his first COVID-19 vaccine shot at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The vaccination event was a partnership between the Florida Department of Health, Broward County and the City of Pembroke Pines.
In this Aug. 9, 2021 photo, a 14-year-old boy gets his first COVID-19 vaccine shot at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The vaccination event was a partnership between the Florida Department of Health, Broward County and the City of Pembroke Pines.

COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS IN FLORIDA AND MIAMI-DADE

Current hospitalizations in Florida moved down a couple of ladder rungs after 14 consecutive days of climbing to record highs, according to Sunday morning’s report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Florida had 115 fewer COVID patients, leaving it at 15,985.

Of that number, 3,336 people were in intensive care beds, representing 50.1% of the state’s ICU hospital beds from 257 hospitals reporting data.

Sunday’s Miami-Dade County report said there were 1,539 COVID patients in the county’s hospitals on Saturday, 54 fewer than the previous day’s report. Of the 188 new COVID patients, 162 (86.2%) had not been vaccinated.

There were 25 children in Nicklaus Children’s Hospital near South Miami being treated for COVID. Of those 25, six children were in the ICU.

Florida’s current hospitalizations for COVID-19 drop for the first time in two weeks

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS IN FLORIDA

As of the CDC’s Sunday report, 10,813,286 Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine. That means about 50.3% of Florida’s total population is fully vaccinated, 28th among U.S. states and territories.

SOUTH FLORIDA

In Miami-Dade County, 1,723,319 people, 63.4% of the county’s total population, are fully vaccinated according to the CDC.

In Broward County, 1,042,966 people are fully vaccinated, or 53.4% of the county’s total population.

Three Broward educators died recently from COVID-19 complications, teachers union says

In Palm Beach County, 774,632 people are fully vaccinated, or 51.8% of the county’s total population.

In Monroe County, 44,855 people are fully vaccinated, or 60.4% of the county’s total population.

In Manatee County, 191.385 people are fully vaccinated, or 47.5% of the county’s total population.

Biden calls Broward superintendent to support the school district’s mask mandate