COVID-19 hospitalizations near all-time high at AdventHealth, officials say

ORLANDO, Fla. — AdventHealth is further limiting its elective non-time-sensitive outpatient surgeries as the hospital system continues to deal with “significant and swift” increases in COVID-19 cases in Central Florida.

Hospital officials said Monday that they have 862 people hospitalized with COVID-19. That nears the peak of about 900 the health system saw in January.

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They said the daily positivity rate at AdventHealth Centra Care also remains at near all-time highs.

At Orange County’s COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Dr. Victor Herrera with AdventHealth said capacity is being stretched to its limits, causing the hospital system to move its status to level red.

READ: Coronavirus: CDC considering mask recommendation for the vaccinated

Here’s what AdventHealth said that means:

• The hospital is deferring non-time-sensitive elective outpatient surgeries at hospitals throughout the Central Florida division effective Tuesday, July 27.
• Preapproval from campus medical leadership is required for non-time-sensitive/urgent or non-emergent procedures.
• Outpatient surgery sites can continue as scheduled.
• Other procedure sites, such as cath and endoscopy, can continue as scheduled.
• Pediatric surgeries can continue without limitation.

READ: Central Florida sees rise in COVID-19 variant cases, hospitalizations

The hospital system said 94% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across AdventHealth’s nationwide system are unvaccinated.

Officials said the current hospitalization rate is “not cause for alarm in terms of hospital capacity.”

“Our hospitals are designed in such a way that spaces are flexible and expandable,” officials said in a statement. “AdventHealth has an extensive health care system in place in Central Florida so we can locate patients to the facility that best matches the level of care they need.”

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