TAMPA, Fla — The AdventHealth West Florida Division is starting to see a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the healthcare system reported Wednesday.
Although they are reporting a decrease, AdventHealth West Florida Division says hospitalizations for the coronavirus continue to remain at the highest levels seen throughout the pandemic.
At this time, AdventHealth is caring for more than 600 COVID-19 patients overall at its facilities across the West Florida Division, most of whom are unvaccinated, the healthcare system said in a news release.
AdventHealth Tampa currently has approximately 115 of those COVID-19 patients.
"The Delta variant of COVID-19 is very different than the strain we saw in our community last year," AdventHealth Tampa’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Doug Ross, said in the news release. "This variant spreads more rapidly and affects a younger group of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s, who may or may not have underlying health factors. We are seeing otherwise healthy people become seriously ill from the virus, and the majority are unvaccinated. We continue to urge people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their community."
Recently, there have been questions circulating about morgue capacity at AdventHealth West Florida Division. The healthcare system said it has a strong emergency management program and it's allowed them to continue taking care of the community during the latest COVID surge with proper planning and precautionary measure. They are putting resources in place to provide additional morgue capacity at AdventHealth Tampa.
AdventHealth Tampa continues to pause elective procedures that are not time-sensitive urgent, or emergent. However, all AdventHealth West Florida Division hospital locations will continue with time-sensitive urgent and emergent surgeries and procedures as scheduled.
AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, AdventHealth Zephyrhills paused either some or all non-time sensitive and non-emergent procedures.