Tampa mayor: City is in crisis as COVID-19 batters healthcare system

Mayor urges vaccines amid COVID 'crisis'

Catherine Hawley reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida continues to see record infections and hospitalizations from COVID-19 across the state. In Tampa, the mayor says the city and our healthcare system are in a crisis.

Hospitals across Tampa Bay are packed with patients and staff is stretched thin. The pandemic has never been this bad.

"These are younger people who are healthy. They had no symptoms. They have no chronic disease. And all of a sudden they're ending up on a ventilator and passing away, 19- to 64-year-olds," said Dr. Nishant Anand, an emergency room physician with BayCare.

Doctors, city leaders, and COVID survivors came together Friday to send a message to everyone in the area: If you are not vaccinated, you need to reconsider.

"With this delta variant, that if you have not been vaccinated, then you have around 100% chance of contracting COVID-19," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.

According to the Florida Department of Health, the current positivity rate in Hillsborough County is 23%, and only about half the residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated.

Vaccine clinic encourages Latinos to get vaccines

A new tent popped up Friday in a Tampa Latino neighborhood, part of a national effort to get help to those disproportionally affected by the virus.

"I could only equate what I went through as hell on Earth," said Tampa resident Nick Hansen.

The father of five contracted COVID-19 in December 2020 and is still dealing with symptoms. He has so-called long COVID and says this virus carries the risk to affect how you function every day for the rest of your life.

"I have no preexisting conditions. I went to the doctor every year. I consider myself pretty healthy. And if it can do that to me, it can do that to anybody," said Hansen.

He has since been vaccinated for COVID-19 and joins medical experts saying the shot will help get us Tampa of this crisis and could save lives.

"Getting vaccinated protects everyone, those who had COVID, those who think their immune systems will fight COVID," Tampa General Hospital chief medical officer Dr. Peggy Duggan said. "This is not about our personal health, it’s about each other."