Florida COVID update: Hospitalizations reverse trend and fall by 317
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said the hospitalizations fell by 417.
New COVID-19 case and death numbers don’t drop on Sundays, but there was a literal drop in hospitalizations, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Sunday report.
There were 9,099 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida in data reported to HHS from 264 hospitals. That’s the same number of hospitals as in Saturday’s report, but the number of people hospitalized across the state is 317 fewer, a reversal of a weeks long upward trend.
Patients with COVID-19 take up 15.76% of all inpatient beds in the latest report, compared to 16.25% among Saturday’s reporting hospitals.
Florida hospitalizations in this wave pushed by the omicron variant were rising toward records set during delta’s wave from July through September. At delta’s August peak, more than 15,000 people were hospitalized in Florida, with over 25% of all inpatient beds being filled by COVID patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Of the people hospitalized in Florida, 1,094 were in intensive-care units, a decrease of 17 from Saturday. That represents about 17.66% of the state’s ICU beds, compared to 17.94% the previous day.
Florida COVID vaccine rates
About 13,704,741 of eligible Floridians — 63.8% of the state’s population — have completed the two-dose series of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of that fully-vaccinated group, 4,635,886 have received a vaccine booster.
Vaccinations in South Florida and Manatee County
▪ In Miami-Dade County, about 2,201,844 people, or 81% of the county’s total population, are fully vaccinated. Of that number, 589,626 have received a vaccine booster.
▪ In Broward County, about 1,331,927 people are fully vaccinated, or 68.2% of the county’s population. Of that number, 429,029 have received a vaccine booster.
▪ In Palm Beach County, about 954,222 people are fully vaccinated, or 63.8% of the county’s population. Of that number, 346,402 have received a vaccine booster.
▪ In Monroe County, about 55,701 people are fully vaccinated, or 75% of the county’s population. Of that number, 18,107 have received a vaccine booster.
▪ In Manatee County, about 239,331 people are fully vaccinated, or 59.4% of the county’s population. Of that number, 91,209 have received a vaccine booster.
Correction: A previous version of this story said the hospitalizations fell by 417.
This story was originally published January 9, 2022 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Florida COVID update: Hospitalizations reverse trend and fall by 317."
