Hospitalizations COVID-19

About 50 ambulances a day are having to wait over an hour to offload patients because emergency rooms do not have the space or staff for new patients, officials said.

Hospital staff are working hard to ensure patients with urgent needs get quality care, including those sick with COVID-19. But the surge in patients means those not in crisis may have to wait.

Mary Mayhew with the Florida Hospital Association says the delta variant is sending thousands of mostly-unvaccinated patients into hospitals around the state. Health workers are feeling the strain.

The decline in hospitalizations comes as Florida's COVID-19 death toll approaches 37,000.

More younger adults are entering Florida hospitals sick with COVID-19, as the mostly vaccinated senior population makes progress. Health experts say the shift stresses the need to get more shots in arms.

The state reports 6,906 people tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, along with 50 deaths.

The state reported 5,556 new positive coronavirus cases, while the greater Tampa Bay region reported 24 deaths — including 17 in Polk County.

Daily case counts and hospitalizations from COVID-19 are starting to trend downward in Florida.

The positivity rate of people who tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time dropped to 8.63%, the lowest it's been since Dec. 27 when it was 9.69%.

Some parts of the country are now grappling with a post-Thanksgiving surge of patients, while others dodged that fate. What lessons can we learn as we head into the Christmas season?

Medical advances have reduced the infection fatality rate in the U.S. But experts warn that indoor gatherings, cold temperatures and pandemic fatigue augur dark months ahead.

While daily cases of COVID-19 statewide are once again averaging over 5,000, deaths from the virus are less than half of what they were in July.