HCA reports zero COVID-19 hospitalizations, TMH reports 2; more cases linked to 'stealth' subvariant
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tallahassee and Leon County are at their lowest point since before the Delta variant surge.
On Monday, there were two people hospitalized with the virus in TMH, said spokeswoman Morgan King.
HCA Florida Capital Hospital, formerly known as Capital Regional Medical Center, has had zero hospitalizations tied to the virus for at least the last week, spokeswoman Rachel Stiles told the Democrat Tuesday.
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While hospitalizations are dwindling to zero, more cases have been tied to the BA.2 COVID subvariant, said Jonathan Dennis, an associate professor in FSU’s Department of Biological Science.
He said there have been nine cases of the highly contagious subvariant since the first was detected in mid-February.
And since mid-March, all positive 7 COVID-19 cases identified in the joint lab between Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare were later found to be linked to the subvariant.
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"The case jump was entirely predictable and expected regarding omicron and the BA.2 variants," he said. "There's nothing dramatic about BA.2."
The lab, which has been functioning since the first months of the pandemic, only analyzes tests that arrive through TMH or FSU, so it is not a complete reflection of the community.
Between April 1-7, there were 51 new COVID-19 cases in Tallahassee, making the positivity rate 1.7%, according to the latest biweekly count published by the Florida Department of Health.
Since March 1, 2020, there have been 84,927 cases of the virus in the capital city and county.
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee COVID hospitalizations are at lowest number in months
