- March 27, 2024
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There won't be an anticipated shortage of hospital beds in Volusia County as the state approaches its May 3 peak date for hospitalizations due to COVID-19, a county research manager said during the virtual County Council meeting on Tuesday, April 14.
It was the first meeting the council held using video conference since the start of the pandemic, with far fewer technical interruptions compared to last week's, where council members tied in by phone. The county, following council direction to provide weekly briefings, had staff present updates from each division. Among them was Dr. Randa Matusiak, a Division of Corrections administrative service manager in research, who outlined the COVID-19 trends statewide and at the county level.
She explained that there is still a general trend upward, and that there is a lag in data as number of confirmed cases are relayed to the Florida Department of Health. Statewide, the numbers have not leveled off yet, but Matusiak said based on projections, the county should be able to handle the peak number of hospitalization when it arrives.
“We are able and we have been able to manage the load fairly well thus far,” she said.
Projections for April 14 by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation estimated a bed need of 2,277 in Florida; Hospitalizations to date (as of Tuesday, April 14) have amounted to 2,909, which includes people who have been discharged.
Florida's peak day for number of deaths is now May 6, Matusiak said, and IHME projections put the number for April 14 at 592; there have been 524 deaths as of April 14.
“As more data informs the model, that’s going to make it change and shift a little bit over time," said Matusiak, who likened the scope of the projections to the National Hurricane Center's forecast cones when a storm is a approaching.
The fact that the projections are higher than what the state is seeing is a good thing, County Manager George Recktenwald said; it means the social distancing and closures are helping to flatten the curve.
“That’s what driving this down and the data is now reflecting that," Recktenwald said.