>>> DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW WE shower with new Dove Men.
>>> DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW WE
PUT THIS VIRUS BEHIND US?
ILL TELL YOU HOW.
WE NEED TO GET MORE PEOPLE
VACCINATED.
THE PICTURES OF HOSPITALS IN
SEVERAL STATES OVERLOADED WITH
PATIENTS IS UNNECESSARY,
AVOIDABLE, AND TRAGIC.
>> AMONG THE STATES SEEING THE
BIGGEST COVID SURGES IS FLORIDA.
TODAY THE STATE REPORTED 17,589
NEW CASES FOR WEDNESDAY.
IT IS THE FOURTH BIGGEST SINGLE
DAY JUMP SINCE THE PANDEMIC
STARTED.
THE STATES GOVERNOR IS REFUSING
TO IMPOSE ANY NEW RESTRICTIONS.
BUT AS POLITICO REPORTS, LOCAL
OFFICIALS ACROSS FLORIDA ARE
BUCKING GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS
AND HIS ANTIMANDATE CORONAVIRUS
STRATEGY.
THEYRE IMPOSING VACCINE AND
MASK REQUIREMENTS FOR GOVERNMENT
WORKERS AND EVEN DECLARING
STATES OF EMERGENCY.
FOR MORE WE WELCOME TO THE
BROADCAST THE CHIEF MEDICAL
OFFICER AT THE BOCA RATON
REGIONAL HOSPITAL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH
US, DOCTOR.
THESE NUMBERS, IN A SINGLE MONTH
YOUR STATE WENT FROM ABOUT 1,300
CASES A DAY TO NOW MORE THAN
17,000.
"THE MIAMI HERALD" DID THE MATH.
THATS A 1241% INCREASE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE ON THE GROUND
THERE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR
HAVING ME.
THE SITUATION IN FLORIDA IS
FAIRLY DIRE.
WEVE SEEN A SIGNIFICANT UPTICK
IN OUR NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO
ARE ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL
WITH COVID.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF IT,
SIX WEEKS AGO IN SOUTH BAPTIST
HEALTH IN FLORIDA, OUR TEN
HOSPITALS, WE HAD 70 PATIENTS
HOSPITALIZED.
NOW WERE SEEING ABOUT 600
PATIENTS IN THE HOSPITAL AND
SUFFERING FROM COVID-19.
WITHIN MY OWN HOSPITAL THAT
NUMBER WENT FROM FIVE TO 70 OVER
A SIX-WEEK PERIOD.
I KNOW FOLKS ARE SKEPTICAL WHEN
THEY HEAR STATISTICS IN THE
NEWSPAPERS AND ON TV.
THIS IS HAPPENING.
THIS IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING THIS
INFECTION WAY FASTER THAN THEY
DID BEFORE.
UNFORTUNATELY THE AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE ENDING UP IN OUR ERs IS
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER, ENDING UP
IN OUR HOSPITAL WARDS ARE
HIGHER, AND IN OUR ICUs,
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.
SO IT IS CONCERNING, VERY
CONCERNING.
>> IT IS BEING FELT ALL AROUND
YOUR STATE.
12 FLORIDA HOSPITALS ARE
REPORTING CRITICAL STAFFING
SHORTAGES TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
THERES A LARGE HOSPITAL SYSTEM
IN JACKSONVILLE THAT SAID ITS
HOSPITALS ARE AT MAXIMUM
CAPACITY.
IN BRAVARD COUNTY, A COUPLE OF
HOSPITALS BEGAN SETTING UP
TREATMENT TENTS IN EMERGENCY
ROOMS.
HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT WHERE
THIS IS GOING, AND FRANKLY,
HOSPITALS IN FLORIDAS ABILITY
TO HANDLE IT?
>> THUS FAR WEVE BEEN ABLE TO
MANAGE THE SURGE.
KEEPING IN PERSPECTIVE, THE
BIGGEST SURGE THAT WE HAD WAS
LAST SUMMER AROUND THE SAME
TIME, IN JULY, WHERE COMPARED TO
THE 600 THAT WE HAVE NOW, WE
HAVE A LITTLE OVER 850 PATIENTS
THAT WERE WITHIN OUR HOSPITALS.
THAT SAID, THE RATE OF RISE AND
THE RATE OF INCREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF PATIENTS GETTING THE
INFECTION AND GETTING ADMITTED
TO THE HOSPITAL IS THE MOST
CONCERNING PART.
WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THESE
NUMBERS COULD MATCH LAST SUMMER
AND EVEN EXCEED THEM.
SO THERES NO DOUBT WE NEED SOME
MITIGATION STRATEGIES.
WE NEED TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF
THIS INFECTION.
AND BY FAR, THE BEST WAY WE HAVE
TO DO THAT IS VACCINATION.
WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE MORE AND
MORE FOLKS TO GET VACCINATED,
NOT TO BE RELUCTANT TO GO GET
IT.
THE ISSUES WITH THE VACCINE,
ITS NOT ANY LONGER AN ACCESS
ISSUE, ITS AN ISSUE OF
PERSUASION.
PERSUADING THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
YET TO GET VACCINATED TO GO GET
IT.
THERES FREE RIDES TO VACCINE
SITES.
THERES FREE VACCINATIONS
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
THATS WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO
PUSH THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY,
IS GETTING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
VACCINATED, BECAUSE HONESTLY,
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE
PATIENTS THAT ARE IN MY HOSPITAL
TODAY WITH COVID-19 ARE
UNVACCINATED.
MOST OF THESE ADMISSIONS INTO
THE HOSPITAL COULD HAVE BEEN
PREVENTED IF WE HAD JUST GOTTEN
THIS VACCINE EARLIER.
ITS QUITE DISHEARTENING TO TALK
TO FOLKS AFTER THEY GET THE
INFECTION AND THEN THEY TELL
YOU, I WANT THE VACCINE.
AND YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM ITS
TOO LATE.
YOU ASK THEM WHY THEY DIDNT GET
THE VACCINE AND THEY TELL YOU, I
DIDNT WANT TO TRY ANYTHING
EXPERIMENTAL.
BUT THE MINUTE THEY GET ADMITTED
TO THE HOSPITAL, THEYRE WILLING
TO TRY SOME OF THE EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION DRUGS LIKE
REMDESIVIR OR SOME OF THE OTHER
DRUGS WERE USING THAT ARE UNDER
THE SAME EUA THAT THE VACCINE
IS.
I WISH FOLKS WOULD TAKE A BETTER
LOOK AT THIS, THE ONES RESISTING
THE VACCINE, REALLY STUDY IT AND