Florida mayor warns 'it won't be long' until hospitals hit capacity, as Florida sees record-high levels of new coronavirus cases
- Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez expects "it won't be long" until South Florida's hospital are filled with coronavirus patients.
- The greater Miami area is already seeing a "sharp increase in the number of people going to the hospital, the number of people that are in ICU, and the number of people on our ventilators," the Republican mayor said in a Sunday interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
- Florida also reported Sunday the nation's largest-ever one-day increase in coronavirus infections, with more than 15,000 new cases. Hospitalizations and deaths typically lag behind reports of new cases.
- Giménez said there are still empty beds in hospitals, and the county has plans to add 500 more intensive care unit beds if needed.
- "We still have capacity, but it does cause me a lot of concern," he said.
"It won't be long" until hospitals in the greater Miami area hit capacity, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said Sunday.
The bleak warning came as Florida also reported a record-high level of daily new cases. Tallying more than 15,000 new infections on Sunday, Florida surpassed the nation's previous largest one-day increase in new cases. Miami-Dade County has the most infections and deaths in the state, the Miami Herald reported Saturday.
Public health experts have acknowledged it typically take several days or weeks for hospitalizations and deaths to reflect surges in infections. Giménez, who oversees the hard-hit area of South Florida, said he is already seeing increases in hospital activity.
There's been a "sharp increase in the number of people going to the hospital, the number of people that are in ICU, and the number of people on our ventilators," the Republican mayor said in a Sunday interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
Giménez said there are still empty beds in hospitals, and the county has plans to add 500 more intensive care unit beds if needed.
"We still have capacity, but it does cause me a lot of concern," he said.
The Sunshine State has nearly 270,000 total infections, making it the third-worst coronavirus outbreak among US states, trailing New York and California. Florida is among several southern states, including South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia, that have seen large spikes in new cases since easing lockdown plans.