FLORIDA, USA — If you hadn't heard yet, the omicron variant has arrived in Florida and it's making its presence known. Over the last week, the state has seen its record for daily COVID-19 cases be broken almost every 24 hours.
And, it looks like the Sunshine State is starting the new year in the same direction. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida reported more than 85,000 COVID cases in the first two days of 2022.
It's a far cry from what the state experienced in August when the delta variant caused daily cases top at more than 27,000. However, the main difference between this current surge in cases and the last – despite the large numbers – is the number of people being sent to the hospital.
When delta arrived, tens of thousands of people overwhelmed the state's hospital system. Health experts declared the event a "pandemic of the unvaccinated." But, the same is not being seen with omicron.
On Monday, Jan. 3, the Florida Hospital Association reported that 5,299 people had been hospitalized for COVID-19. It's still thousands more than what was being reported in the weeks prior, but nothing near what was reported during delta's summer surge when hospitalizations peaked at more than 16,800.
Doctors have told 10 Tampa Bay that due to the high transmissibility of the omicron variant, a rise in hospitalizations wouldn't be a surprise, especially among those who are unvaccinated.
However, omicron may impact hospitals in another way. Staffing could become an issue if too many workers get infected, even with a mild case, and have to sit out for quarantine.
