Latest wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida may have peaked, doctors say

Doctors said they believe COVID-19 hospitalizations for this particular wave have peaked.

At the height of this surge, Florida hospitals recorded nearly 17,000 admitted coronavirus patients. That number has been on the decline now for the past week.

While the downward curve is significant, we still have 50% more patients hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide right now than at the worse of the peak last year.

READ: AdventHealth announces transition to “Red Status” as admissions slow

Hospital officials across Florida were optimistic, but then things shifted this summer when the delta variant hit.

Wednesday marked the first time since early August that Florida has fewer than 15,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

READ: 95% of Florida’s ICU beds in use, even as COVID-19 cases start to decline

While admissions have decreased and more space is now available, there’s another issue that Florida hospitals are still facing: About 76% of them are expecting critical staffing shortages in the next seven days.

The percentage of Florida hospitals bracing for critical staffing shortages has also continued to climb.

Roughly 95% of Florida’s hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, putting such strain on hospital staff that is starting to reach a breaking point.

READ: Florida’s ‘vaccine passport’ ban will be enforced starting this month

VIDEO: Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office steps in to help hospitals with space for COVID-19 deceased Hospitals are getting some relief as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations come down.