Florida sets new COVID-19 hospitalization record, topping 14,700

Emergency services strained in Pinellas County

Hospitals are seeing a shortage of ICU beds and one hospital has had to request emergency ventilators.

TAMPA, Fla. - While the Florida Department of Health has not yet made its daily report of new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Hospital Association is reporting a record number of patients hospitalized with the virus.

According to a release on the FHA website, 14,787 patients were hospitalized as of Tuesday evening. The percentage of available beds in adult intensive care units was 10.3% and the percentage of inpatient beds available for patients of all ages was 15.1%.

Just over 32% of all patients in ICU and inpatient beds in Florida were confirmed to have COVID-19.

Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations August 10

The FHA said it was not reporting a daily number of cases, which it had reported in the past, "pending resolution of discrepancies identified by the Florida Department of Health."

READ: Florida Department of Health says CDC reported inaccurate COVID-19 data

A Florida Hospital Association poll of hospitals indicated 68% expect to have staffing shortages in the next week. Additionally, 26% reported that they will have to expand their patient care areas in the next week into parts of their facilities not currently used for care.

Hospitals across the state have been forced to cancel non-emergency surgical procedures, and some facilities have limited visitation as the numbers of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have increased.

The state of Florida stopped reporting daily COVID-19 statistics in June at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Florida Department of Health now issues updates once a week, on Fridays. The FHA and CDC continue to publish data on a daily basis, however.

There remains no source of recovered COVID-19 patient data, or reliable statewide information on breakthrough cases.

Editor's note: The number of new cases and deaths reported each day does not necessarily reflect the day that the case was confirmed. Stats for today and previous days will likely change in the future as the state reviews more cases and updates retroactive data.

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