More Florida hospitals are postponing elective surgeries as COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state reach record highs.
The average daily hospitalization rate among adults ages 18-39 in Florida has increased about 150 percent in the past two weeks, according to HHS data.
Several Florida health systems, including Health First in Rockledge, Baptist Health in Jacksonville and AdventHealth in Altamonte Springs, already postponed or limited nonemergency surgeries. Now, more hospitals in the state are limiting these surgeries to free up bed space and staffing resources.
BayCare Health System in Clearwater will scale back elective procedures at some of its facilities later this week, the Tampa Bay Times reported July 28. The changes will affect overnight hospital stays.
Additionally, Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, Fla., postponed elective surgeries until further notice as it sees an all-time high in hospitalizations, according to ClickOrlando.com.
As of July 28, 1,827 of the state's 6,558 available ICU beds were filled with patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections, HHS data revealed.