SEMINOLE COUNTY. AND GREG, CAN ANYONE GO THERE? GREG: NOT RIGHT NOW. THIS IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. AND ONLY FOR CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS HERE AT TRUITT HEALTH, WHICH IS RUN BY SEMINOLE COUNTY. FOR NOW, THE MOST WIDELY USED TREATMENTS ARE OFF THE TABLE. >> THEY’RE SAYING THAT THE REGENERON WAS NOT AS EFFECTIVE. I HAD THAT LAST WEEK AND IT SEEMED TO WORK FOR ME. GREG: PEOPLE LIKE MELISSA STUCK ARE CONFUSED AND FRUSTRATED. SHE GOT AN INFUSION OF THE COVID ANTIBODY TREATMENT REGENERON HERE IN SANFORD LAST WEEK. BUT HER MOTHER IS GETTING SOTROVIMAB, WHICH IS THE ONLY TREATMENT NOW BEING OFFERED AT THIS COUNTY-RUN SITE. >> THEY’RE CONSTANTLY CHANGING EVERYTHING. MASKS WORK. MASKS DON’T WORK. ON LY N-95 WORKS. NOW JUST YESTERDAY, THEY SAID , ANY MASK WORKS. SO, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE. GREG: SHE’S NOT ALONE. JUST HOURS AFTER WE SAW PEOPLE GOING INTO THIS STATE-RUN SITE IN FOREST CITY MONDAY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PULLED THE PLUG ON REGENERON AND ELI LILLY ANTIBODY TREATMENTS. THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ISSUED A NEW ORDER SAYING THEY COULD BE USED ONLY WHETHN PATIENT IS LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH OR EXPOSED TO A VARIANT FOR WHICH IT’S EFFECTIVE. OMICRON, THE DOMINANT STRAIN, IS NOT ONE OF THEM, PROMPTING THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHO T SHUT DOWN ALL STATE SITES INDEFINITELY. >> THIS IS WRONG, WHAT THEY EAR DOING. GREG: REPUICBLAN FLORIDA GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS WAS ICQU TO CONDEMN THE MOVE, SAYING PEOPLERE A BENEFITING FROM ETH TREATMENTS. >> IT’S REALLY A RECKLSES DECISION TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS OPTION AWAY FROM PATIENTS, WHEN WE’VE HAD THIS SITE SET U WE HAVE HAD THIS DISTRIBUTED TO DIFFERENT MEDICAL GROUPS OR HOSPITALS. >> PEOPLE ARE JUST SCARED. GREG: SEMINOLE COUNTY'’ EMERGENCY MANAGER SAYS THE GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WITH COVID IS TH TATHERE ARE OTHER TREATMENT OPTIONS, INCLUDING THE PAXLODVI PILL AND REMDESIVIR INJECTN.IO >> BECAUSE THE MESSAGE WASN’T SUPER CLEAR. THE MESSAGE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, WHILE THESE MEDICATIONS DON'’ WORK, HERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR TREATMENT AND WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT. GREG: WTHA SHOULD YOU DO? IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS, YOU SHOULD GET TESTED. IF YOUET G POSITIVE -- IF YOU TEST POSITIVE, YOU SHOULD TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT AVAILABLE TREATMENT OPTIONS. WITH ONLY 40 DOSES OF SOTROVIMAB HERE AT THE ST
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to decline across Florida
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Updated: 5:39 PM EST Jan 25, 2022
Central Florida hospitals are seeing the number of people in need of hospital care for COVID-19 decrease over the past few days.Seminole County Emergency Medical Services medical director Dr. Todd Husty made the following observation: "Hospitalizations and cases are going down statewide." As fast as omicron spread, quickly becoming the dominant COVID-19 infection source, things are turning around when it comes to people landing in the hospital."It's not like the virus has just disappeared and flown away, it's just having a hard time finding people who won't fight it," Husty said. AdventHealth said it now has roughly 960 COVID-19 patients across its Central Florida system with 150 of those in the intensive care unit. The 960 this week is down from the omicron peak of more than 1,100 hospitalized patients a week ago. Husty said that being vaccinated and boosted makes all the difference."Really, almost all the patients that we see in the hospital are the unvaccinated or a few that only had two shots," Husty said. Orlando Health says it now has 531 COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized, down from nearly 590 a week and a half ago. It doesn't break out the number needing intensive care. Both AdventHealth and Orlando Health report they are handling COVID-19 patients while continuing with other normal hospital services. AdventHealth included a reminder of the importance of vaccines, boosters, and masks indoors or when spacing isn't possible. Husty agrees that continuing protocols is the road to success."There's a lot of debate over whether we'll ever hit herd immunity, but when you see it dropping like this, don't you have some faith that perhaps we have so many people with antibodies that we're kind of showing what herd immunity looks like," Husty said.Husty said the region is still dealing with high transmission, so, people need to remain vigilant so another variant doesn’t show up in our future.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Central Florida hospitals are seeing the number of people in need of hospital care for COVID-19 decrease over the past few days.
Seminole County Emergency Medical Services medical director Dr. Todd Husty made the following observation: "Hospitalizations and cases are going down statewide."
As fast as omicron spread, quickly becoming the dominant COVID-19 infection source, things are turning around when it comes to people landing in the hospital.
"It's not like the virus has just disappeared and flown away, it's just having a hard time finding people who won't fight it," Husty said.
AdventHealth said it now has roughly 960 COVID-19 patients across its Central Florida system with 150 of those in the intensive care unit.
The 960 this week is down from the omicron peak of more than 1,100 hospitalized patients a week ago.
Husty said that being vaccinated and boosted makes all the difference.
"Really, almost all the patients that we see in the hospital are the unvaccinated or a few that only had two shots," Husty said.
Orlando Health says it now has 531 COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized, down from nearly 590 a week and a half ago. It doesn't break out the number needing intensive care.
Both AdventHealth and Orlando Health report they are handling COVID-19 patients while continuing with other normal hospital services.
AdventHealth included a reminder of the importance of vaccines, boosters, and masks indoors or when spacing isn't possible. Husty agrees that continuing protocols is the road to success.
"There's a lot of debate over whether we'll ever hit herd immunity, but when you see it dropping like this, don't you have some faith that perhaps we have so many people with antibodies that we're kind of showing what herd immunity looks like," Husty said.
Husty said the region is still dealing with high transmission, so, people need to remain vigilant so another variant doesn’t show up in our future.
