The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is decreasing, and today there are about 960 in AdventHealth’s hospitals across seven Central Florida counties. About 150 of those are receiving ICU-level care.

Those figures represent a downturn from Omicron’s peak in Central Florida during the week of Jan. 17 of more than 1,100 inpatients with COVID-19 in the health care system’s Central Florida Division.

AdventHealth remains at “green” status and continues to operate normally, with no disruptions to scheduled procedures.

“We have taken the lessons learned from previous surges and applied them so that we can continue to serve all of the community’s health needs while caring for an increased number of COVID patients,” said Dr. Victor Herrera, chief medical officer of AdventHealth Orlando. “We are pleased to see the number of COVID-19 patients on the decline and we are grateful to our team members for their hard work as well as our community for their continued support.”

AdventHealth Centra Care’s statewide seven-day rolling positivity rate has decreased to 34%. While the trend is headed in the right direction, the figure still represents the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant throughout the community.

Vaccines, boosters:

Physicians say the community’s best defense against Omicron, which is more contagious than previous strains even among those who are vaccinated, is for those who haven’t received COVID-19 booster shots, to get them.

Those who have not begun their primary vaccine series will still benefit from doing so and will receive protection from the variant.

Masks:

Physicians continue to recommend people wear masks in crowded indoor spaces or when in close contact with others. This includes students and teachers in classroom settings. Social distancing and good hygiene practices are also recommended to help cut down on community spread of the virus.

Covid testing and treatment:

Where to go for testing:

    • The Florida Department of Health publishes a list of COVID testing sites located throughout the state.
    • Emergency departments should be reserved for medical emergencies, such as severe symptoms, difficulty breathing or worsening symptoms, including a fever, that are not responding to over-the-counter medications.
  • Who should get tested:
    • Those who have been exposed to COVID but do not have symptoms do not need to be tested.
    • Those who develop symptoms should be tested and, if positive, isolate for at least five days to protect others who could be more vulnerable to the virus.
  • Monoclonal antibody therapy treatment:
    • The Florida Department of Health publishes a list of monoclonal treatment sites throughout the state.
    • AdventHealth has an extremely limited supply of monoclonal antibodies, and a physician referral is required.

 Media Release: AdventHealth Central Florida Division