Hospitalizations COVID-19

USF epidemiologist Jason Salemi said it's time people get back into a community mindset of preventing infection with several counties across Tampa Bay region now at a high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units also has increased.

The numbers have been steadily increasing along with cases. On Friday there were 1,303 hospital inpatients with Covid and that climbed to 1,352 on Monday.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, Health News Florida reporters Stephanie Colombini and Verónica Zaragovia sat down to discuss COVID fatigue and what to expect in the coming year.

More than 430,000 people tested positive for coronavirus last week; at the same time, new case positivity rate dropped for the first time since early November.

Florida Hospital Association president Mary Mayhew says staff having to isolate due to the virus and workers taking lucrative travel jobs are posing challenges for hospitals amid the omicron surge.

Thousands of kids in Florida are testing positive for the coronavirus. Doctors say hospitals are seeing about as many patients as they did during the delta surge.

The 76,887 new coronavirus cases brought the state's seven-day daily average to 56,759.

Between Sunday and Thursday, hospitalizations rose 55% to 8,406 people. Nearly 1,000 people were in intensive care beds.

USF Health expert Jason Salemi says omicron seems to be less deadly than delta, but cautions Floridians should still take the surge in cases seriously.

Florida health officials say the number of COVID cases is continuing to trend down, but the president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association tells legislators that staffing concerns remain.

The Tampa Water Department switched to chlorine from liquid oxygen, which was being diverted to area hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients.