AdventHealth, Orlando Health COVID-19 hospitalizations nearly double in a week
As omicron cases escalate toward a peak, hospitalizations are reaching levels not seen since the delta surge: AdventHealth Central Florida has 910 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across its system as of Monday.
Though this is lower than the delta surge’s peak of 1,700 hospitalized COVID19 patients in August, it is still significant. Prior to the delta surge, 900 was about the highest number the hospital system had seen.
About 120 — one in nine COVID-19 patients at AdventHealth — are receiving intensive care, according to a Monday press release.
Even though the majority of patients aren’t in intensive care, they still face serious issues, said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at AdventHealth Central Florida, during a news conference last Wednesday.
“We are not seeing as many proportionally in the ICU,” he said. “And that’s good news, but I want to stress very, very closely that omicron, while it may be a
RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA/ORLANDO SENTINEL little milder variant, is still a very serious virus to be reckoned with.”
Hospitalizations are multiplying rapidly. This is the third week that AdventHealth Central Florida’s hospitalizations have approximately doubled. There were 480 COVID-19 patients hospitalized last Monday; about 240 patients the Wednesday before that; and about 100 patients hospitalized the Monday before that.
Dr. Hsu said last week that AdventHealth is struggling with staff shortages, in part because some of the staff has caught COVID-19.
“Just like delta, the limiting factor with taking care of patients is our staff,” he said.
Orlando Health’s hospitalizations have increased too, said spokesperson Nicole Ray. As of Friday, 478 patients were COVID-19 positive. The Thursday before that, it was 252. Ray said Orlando Health is still able to provide needed services.
“We maintain a comprehensive surge plan that identifies additional resources, including beds, that would be available if needed,” Ray said over email. “We also continue to successfully schedule and safely perform necessary medical procedures.”
There are signs that suggest more hospitalizations are coming: AdventHealth
Centra Care’s COVID-19 test positivity rate, often a predictor of hospitalizations, is 40%, according to a news release. There was also a record amount of COVID-19 found in Central Florida’s wastewater on Monday, which has historically preceded an increase in hospitalizations.
A University of Florida model predicts that COVID-19 cases will peak this week, but hospitalizations tend to lag one or two weeks behind cases, so the region will likely wait longer for admissions to decrease.
Statewide, 10,982 COVID-19 positive patients were admitted from Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, a 103% increase from the previous week.
Hsu urged masks and booster shots in Wednesday’s news conference but said that getting your first or second shot of the vaccine will help too. Both will increase COVID-19 antibodies.
“Serious illnesses are largely still among those that are unvaccinated,” he said.