Sunday Florida COVID-19 update: Current hospitalizations nearing 14,000, HHS reports

Sunday’s COVID-19 news as far as the state of Florida repeated the previous several days in that current hospitalizations continued an unabated rise at the state level, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The 13,793 novel coronavirus patients in 251 hospitals in Sunday’s HHS update represented a relatively small spike from the 13,747 reported Saturday. Similarly small was the increase in intensive care unit beds used for COVID-19 patients, 2,767 from 2,750.

But, they were increases. Also, lest there be any doubt the pandemic’s resurgence is a bigger problem for Florida hospitals than hospitals elsewhere, 24.4% of all Florida hospital patients are classified as COVID-19 patients — compared with 8.7% nationally. As for ICU beds, 43.8% of those are taken up by COVID-19 patients in Florida. Nationally, that number is 19.4%.

On Sunday morning, Jackson Health System tweeted that it had 348 COVID-19 patients. That number was 228 on Aug. 1.

The Florida Hospital Association tweeted Sunday afternoon that the current hospitalization total was 13,435. While the Florida Hospital Association reported a different number than U.S. Health & Human Services, the trends were similar in that there was a small rise Sunday after it counted an Olympian leap (484) the previous day.

In this phase of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t reported new case numbers on Sundays.

South Florida counties’ trends in hospitalizations and vaccinations

The Centers for Disease Control continued to report the “level of community transmission” levels in each Florida county as “high.”

▪ The CDC said 1,693,584 people in Miami-Dade County were fully vaccinated, 62.3% of the population.

The seven-day case totals were up 26.4%. Fewer than 10 people died of COVID in the last seven days. The positive test rate continues to climb, up 0.9% to 14.2% over the last seven days. Despite a slight drop in the rate of hospital admissions (1.8%), the percentages of patients with COVID-19 and ICU patients in with COVID-19 are up, 22.4% and 28.4%, respectively.

▪ Broward County has 1,023,898 residents fully vaccinated, 52.4% of the population.

As with Miami-Dade, there was a steep rise in case numbers (38.6%) in the last seven days; fewer than 10 COVID-19 deaths; and a gently rising positive test rate, up 2.7% to 19.3%. The number of COVID patients hopped up, both in hospitals overall (8.5%) and in the ICU (9.56%).

▪ In Palm Beach County, 764,775 residents are finished with their vaccine regimen, 51.1% of the population.

Mirroring Broward and Miami-Dade, the case numbers shot up, 30.9%; fewer than 10 people died of COVID-19; the positive test rate crept up 2% to 20.9%. Hospital admissions jumped 44%, as the percentage of beds devoted to COVID patients were up 5.9% and percentage of ICU beds up 10.1%.

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▪ Monroe County has 44,403 residents fully vaccinated, 59.8% of the population.

Both cases (51.4%) and hospital admissions (70%) skyrocketed in the Keys over the last seven days. The positive testing rate also had the highest South Florida rise, 3.7% to 21.9%. The percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients was up 5.4% and the corresponding percentage in the ICU was up 5.5%.

Manatee County

Less than half of Manatee County is fully vaccinated, with 189,257 people representing 46.9% of the population.

Over the last seven days, cases were up 29.9% and the positive test rate was up 1.2% to 20.2%. Hospital admissions rose 38.9%, so the percentage of hospital beds with COVID-19 patients rose 6.8% and the ICU bed occupation percentage jumped 10%.