ICUs in Florida reach capacity as coronavirus cases skyrocket
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jul 9, 2020
On Tuesday, the governor danced around questions about when Florida officials would provide data on daily hospitalization rates in the state, which his office had said would begin last week.
As of Wednesday morning, many Palm Beach County hospital ICUs were reportedly near capacity. 30 additional hospitals reported that their ICUs were at least 90% full.
"Hospitals are safe and Floridians in need of treatment shouldn't avoid seeking care", Desantis wrote on Twitter.
According to the state's hospital bed census, Bethesda West and Wellington Regional Medical Center only had two beds available for ICU patients.
A third were in Los Angeles County, with 630 requiring intensive care, and new cases were increasingly in the 18 to 40 years age group, which had flouted distancing advice.
More than 15,000 patients are being treated for coronavirus in hospitals in California, Texas, Florida and Arizona, according to the FT, which said the case surge was the forerunner to a death spike.
Furthermore, because testing has ramped up so much over the past three months, cases are being detected earlier than they were in March or April. "I think when you see the younger folks - I think a lot of it is more just social interactions, so that's natural".
As a result, the death rate will lag behind the infection rate, but Florida could soon find itself in the same position NY fought to operate its way from in April when ICUs continue to fill up.
Miami-Dade County's mayor rolled back reopening plans on Monday in light of the climbing case count, halting indoor dining at restaurants that had resumed business after an initial shutdown aimed at containing the virus' spread.
Jacob started covering video games and technology in college as a hobby, but it quickly became clear to him that this was what he wanted to do for a living.
The 14-day self-quarantine mandate also applies to visitors from Florida arriving in New York, New Jersey and CT. His previously published work can be found on TechHive, VentureBeat and Game Rant.
