Bay Area hospitals seeing jump in COVID-19 cases, but fewer severe symptoms

COVID-19 cases climbing

The number of COVID-19 cases nationwide is up over the past 30 days with two new variants driving a summer surge. Hillsborough County reported a 33% jump in cases, while Pinellas reported a 59% jump and Polk reported a 64% increase.

TAMPA, Fla. - Bay Area hospitals are seeing a spike in COVID-19 patients with new variants.

According to the Florida Department of Health, COVID cases in Hillsborough County are up 33% compared to this time last year. Pinellas County has seen a 59% increase and infections are up 64% in Polk County.

HCA Florida Brandon has seen a spike in patients with COVID over the past 30 days.

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"Patients are coming in with body aches, headaches, lethargy, complaining of all the normal symptoms of COVID that we’ve seen over the last few years but in greater numbers," ER nurse practitioner Nathan Craft said.

Craft said he has seen multiple patients a day, but their stays are much shorter.

"By and large, people are getting discharged and having to kind of shelter in place at home and suffer through the symptoms but not really finding any complications from it," he said.

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Emeritus distinguished USF Health Professor Dr. Thomas Unnasch said while cases may be up, deaths nationwide are down.

"What’s been happening is kind of what I predicted in 2021, 2022, which is: these huge waves that we’ve been getting are now settling down into kind of ripples," he explained.

Dr. Unnasch said this current "ripple" of cases is caused by two new variants, FLRT, which he calls the "grandkids" of the Omicron variant.

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"What we’re doing is watching a really interesting story of viral evolution in real time here," he said.

The variants bring symptoms similar to what we've seen over the years, but fewer people are losing their taste and smell.

"We’re seeing fewer really severe symptoms and, interestingly, one of the things we’re seeing a little bit more of is more gastrological symptoms -- so upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea," he said.

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Both Dr. Unnasch and Craft believe soon COVID will be just another cold.

"You’re not seeing a lot of really sick people anymore, which is a nice thing," Dr. Unnasch said.

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