Hospitalizations COVID-19

The death toll and number of new cases from COVID-19 continues to drop across Florida and the greater Tampa Bay region.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital, which had not been allowing visitations, said it will now allow most patients to have two visitors. It also resumed nonemergency surgeries this week.

Dr. Syed Zaidi said it's been heartbreaking and frustrating to watch so many unvaccinated COVID-19 patients die. He's urging others to protect themselves before it's too late.

Nearly 20 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in Florida during the pandemic were reported in the last 30 days.

Hospitalizations statewide dropped again, after showing a slight uptick on Monday for the first time in a month.

The city has not determined what other methods it will use to disinfect water and will continue using chlorine in the meantime.

They dipped below 11,000 on Tuesday, the first time it has been at that mark since Aug. 2.

The state reports 11,547 people with the coronavirus being treated in the state's hospitals on Monday.

Prior to President Joe Biden's announcement that hospital workers must get a coronavirus vaccine, leaders of hospital systems in the region have been reluctant to make it a requirement.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Florida dropped to 13,034 on Wednesday.

"One nurse was so upset, she looked at me with tears and she said, 'You know, I can turn in my badge now and go home. I can’t do this.' " recalls June Brown, of Osceola Regional Medical Center,

While no new coronavirus cases and deaths were reported by the CDC on Saturday, hospitalizations across the state trended down.