As the state continues to struggle with the deadly COVID-19 surge this summer, dozens of Florida hospitals may soon run out of oxygen supplies.
A survey released by the Florida Hospital Association on Wednesday found that 68 hospitals in the state had less than 48 hours of oxygen supply, and nearly half of them had less than 36 hours of supply. Due to the spread of Delta variants, oxygen demand has recently skyrocketed. According to data from the Florida Hospital Association, as of Thursday, a total of 16,550 confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in Florida.
“It’s not like running out of masks, right? It’s saving lives,” Mary Mayhew, the organization’s president, told WFME. “Now we are focusing on how to ensure that this will not happen. Therefore, the hospital has been raising these concerns with the state government, emergency management departments, the governor’s office, and at the federal government level.”
Mayhew added that some hospitals have been calling “crazyly”, claiming that oxygen delivery has been delayed for 12 hours. According to reports, since July 1, the oxygen supply time of 29 hospitals in Florida has dropped below 12 hours.
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The surge in hospital oxygen demand driven by COVID has also had a knock-on effect on the water supply of some of the state’s largest population centers. Water companies in Orlando and Tampa Bay have urged residents to reduce their water consumption because of recent difficulties in obtaining liquid oxygen supplies to purify public water.
According to WFTV, the shortage of supply means that as of Wednesday, Orlando’s utility company only has enough oxygen to safely handle the water supply for two weeks. At the same time, Tampa Bay Water told its customers that shortages are forcing them to change the way they treat water, and because they need to use more bleach, they should expect a change in taste.
Oxygen shortages may continue to be a problem in Florida, and new cases of virus transmission and existing patients require additional oxygen supplements. The state had an average of 227 COVID-19 deaths every day this week-this is Florida’s record and the worst daily average death in the country so far.Ten major hospitals in central Florida were forced to resort to Rent a cooler to dispose of the influx of dead bodies.
Regardless of rising deaths and oxygen shortages, Republican governors Ron DeSantis Continue to defend his policy of banning masks and vaccinations.DeSantis also suggested that the president Joe Biden Should try to emulate Florida Fox News In an interview on Wednesday, saying that the president “said he was going to end the new crown virus” was a failure.
Weekly newspaper Contact the DeSantis office and the Florida Hospital Association for comments.
