Florida Sees Record Number of COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations

Florida reached another grim milestone on Sunday when it broke a previous record for COVID-19 hospitalizations that was set before vaccines were available.

The new hospitalization record came a day after the state recorded the most new daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, the Associated Press reported. As of Sunday, Florida had 10,207 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The previous record was 10,170 on July 23, 2020, more than six months before vaccinations started becoming widely available, Florida Hospital Association figures show.

Florida now has the most per-capita hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the United States, putting a heavy strain on hospitals, the AP reported. On Saturday, there were a record-setting 21,683 new COVID-19 cases in the state. Florida averaged 1,525 adult hospitalizations and 35 daily pediatric hospitalizations a day in the past week.

Memorial Health Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood had seven patients with COVID-19. At Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, there were 17 patients with COVID-19 on Friday, including six in the intensive care unit and one who needed a ventilator, Marcos Mestre, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer, told the Miami Herald. About half of the patients were younger than 12 years, Mestre said, and the rest were older and eligible for the vaccine. But none of the patients with COVID-19 at Nicklaus Children's on Friday were vaccinated. Most children who get COVID-19 do not need hospitalization, Mestre added.