Manatee County’s hospitals hit capacity as COVID-19 cases continue to surge
All three of Manatee County’s general hospitals have hit capacity, as COVID-19 cases keep surging.
Manatee Memorial Hospital, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center and Blake Medical Center had no available beds as of Wednesday afternoon. Coronavirus-positive patients represent almost 20% of the people currently being treated at the hospitals.
According to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration, the three hospitals should have 75 more beds available, including nine ICU beds, but they lack the staff needed to fill them.
“The hospitals all have additional space, that’s not the problem, but they don’t have the nurses,” said Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jacob Saur.
The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday reported 145 new coronavirus infections in the county. There have now been 5,564 positive cases of the coronavirus in Manatee since the pandemic began.
Hospitalizations of patients who are positive for the virus totaled 110, according to data provided to the county by the hospitals. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center last provided to the county updated counts late Tuesday but had already hit capacity.
A shortage of nurses is being felt elsewhere in the state as more people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
On Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference at Blake Medical Center but there was no mention made of Blake or any of the county’s other hospitals being almost at capacity. DeSantis did say he was sending nurses to the Tampa Bay region but not say where they were going.
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center has deferred all in-patient elective surgeries that require a hospital stay, according to a statement from CEO Andy Guz.
“We have not canceled all electives,” Guz said. “We continue to evaluate on a week-to-week basis based on staffing and beds available.”
Manatee Memorial Hospital has not stopped or scaled back any procedures.
“No plans at this time. Monitoring the situation every day,” CEO Kevin DiLallo said in a statement to the Bradenton Herald.
Blake Medical Center has not responded to inquiries about any additional proactive measures being taken or under consideration, but last week it was first to defer elective procedures or surgeries that require a hospital stay.
As of Wednesday, Manatee Memorial Hospital had 60 COVID-19 positive patients. Lakewood Ranch had 27 COVID-19 patients, and Blake Medical Center had 33 COVID-19 patients.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 4:27 PM.
