Confronted with a record variety of hospitalizations of clients with COVID-19, Seminole County health officials expressed concerns that healthcare facilities in the county might quickly reach capability and become overwhelmed in the coming weeks following the 4th of July weekend, a time when lots of people gathered to commemorate.
On Tuesday, Seminole reported 203 clients being treated for COVID in the county’s four health centers, consisting of Development Health Altamonte Springs, Central Florida Regional in Sanford, Oviedo Medical Center and Orlando Health South Seminole Health Center in Longwood. That’s 40 more patients than the previous record set on July 4, when 163 clients were hospitalized in the county.
Seminole on Tuesday had a 13%availability of medical facility beds, according to county information.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday stated the state will send out 100 health-care employees to Jackson Health System in Miami to aid with a surge of coronavirus patients.
Of those 203 patients, 30 individuals were being treated in intensive care units, a dive of five from a day earlier.
“We need to be really anxious,” stated Dr. Todd Husty, an emergency clinic physician and Seminole’s medical director. “The healthcare facilities are having a difficult time staffing. Every patient that they see with COVID takes twice as long [to treat] as the ones who do not have COVID … And every room requires to be cleaned remarkably.”
Husty alerted the county may see another surge in favorable cases in the coming weeks, as what happened after the Memorial Day weekend.
“I believe in at least 7 to 10 to 14 days from now, we’re going to really see it,” Husty stated.
In surrounding Orange County on Monday, extensive care units at numerous healthcare facilities– including Orlando Health ORMC, Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, AdventHealth Kissimmee, AdventHealth Winter Park, and Poinciana Medical Center– had no ICU capability, according to the Company for Healthcare Administration.
Donna Walsh, Seminole’s officer for the state’s Department of Health, explained that within the first six days of July, Seminole has actually already recorded 793 positive cases of the coronavirus. Whe