MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - After hospitals in South Florida filled up with a record-breaking number of COVID-19 patients, residents are lining up and waiting hours at testing sites.
Doctors, county leaders and other health experts, meanwhile, are pleading with the public to get vaccinated.
Nomi Health opened a site for COVID-19 testing and vaccines across the street from Miami Beach City Hall, Monday.
South Florida is seeing a summer surge of COVID-19 fueled by the delta variant, presenting health officials with younger, sicker patients.
“They are,” confirmed Mary Mayhew of the Florida Hospital Association. “They are being hospitalized. They are sicker, and they are ending up in the intensive care unit at 25 years old.”
Florida broke two records over the weekend. Friday’s numbers, released on Saturday, clocked in as the highest single day of new cases since the start of the pandemic.
“Last year, it took us 60 days to go from 2,000 cases to over 10,000 cases. During this delta variant surge, we’ve gone from 2,000 cases, hospitalized COVID patients to 10,000 in 27 days,” Mayhew said.
Another shattered record Sunday: 10,207 people in Florida were hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19. Most of them are unvaccinated.
“We need people to get vaccinated, and that is going to keep someone out of the hospital and save their life,” Mayhew said.
Some hospitals are forced to find creative ways to accommodate more patients, like transforming conference rooms.
“Cleveland Clinic, the North Broward district, the South Broward district — all of them are being overwhelmed with COVID cases, and again, this is preventable,” said Broward County Mayor Steve Geller.
Long lines for testing formed at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah and Mills Pond in Fort Lauderdale. Some waited as long as 3 hours.
Businesses are continuing to take the lead on mask-wearing. Publix and Home Depot are once again requiring employees to wear masks.
The push is on for those who haven’t gotten the vaccine to get it.
With the fall semester at the University of Miami less than two weeks away, President Julio Frank released a video explaining the policies and encouraging vaccines for students returning to campus and requiring masks indoors whether you have a COVID-19 vaccine or not.
“While the university cannot mandate vaccination for students, it is expected that they understand their responsibility for their health and the health of others,” he said. “For students, faculty and staff who are not vaccinated, testing will be required at least once a week.”
With yet another wave of COVID patients filling South Florida hospitals, Dr. Fayez Ajib said after one particularly trying shift last week, he decided to take to social media.
“I personally have never treated so many in one shift, and almost all of the ones who were just so sick were entirely unvaccinated,” he said in the TikTok video.
On Monday, Ajib told 7News, “When you are in a hospital bed and you’re struggling to breathe, it gives you a different perspective, people will say I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
Other doctors and nurses, like this group at Memorial Regional who took a break for lunch provided by the hospital’s foundation, said the latest spike in numbers is taking a toll on them as well.
“We’re just trying to get through this,” said nurse Susan Giligian.
They’re working as hard as ever in Florida, treating as many patients now as in any time since the start of the pandemic. And like those treated by Dr. Ajib, many had chose not to get the vaccine.
Many, however, have been asking for it once in the hospital.
“‘Is it too late to get vaccinated?’ You know, ‘I wish I had gotten vaccinated,’” said respiratory therapist Greg Saka.
Here are the numbers from the CDC.
About 99.99% of fully vaccinated people have not had a breakthrough case.
A breakthrough case is when a person tests positive for COVID at least two weeks after becoming fully vaccinated.
As of last week, 163 million Americans were fully vaccinated. The CDC said fewer than 6,600 are breakthrough cases.
Of the 163 million, 0.004% have been hospitalized and 0.001% have died.
”Best way to stop this spread is to get vaccinated,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said.
”The vaccines dramatically reduce your chances of getting COVID,” Geller said.
Dr. Ajib said his TikTok video had just one purpose.
“‘Cause I thought if one person scrolled through and saw that video and got vaccinated, it would be worth it,” he said.
The Miami Heat are participating in a vaccination drive at the FTX Arena on Thursday. They are offering giveaways to those who get the vaccine. For more information, click here.
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