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Florida has requested hundreds of ventilators from the federal government as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations soar across the state, according to a Department of Health and Human Services planning document obtained by a local news outlet.
ABC News affiliate Local 10 reported Monday Florida made a request for 300 ventilators on Friday "to replace expended state stores." The order was scheduled to arrive Monday, though it was not clear how the ventilators would be allocated across the state.
The request comes as Florida has been reporting a sharp rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, largely due to the highly contagious Delta variant that has been sweeping through unvaccinated populations.
In the last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported over 157,000 cases in Florida, marking the highest level in the country.
The Florida Hospital Association recorded 13,614 coronavirus hospitalizations across the state Monday, setting a state record for daily hospitalizations. The previous peak came in late July 2020 with just over 10,000 patients hospitalized.
Florida is also reporting the highest number of children currently hospitalized from COVID of any state in the country, with 172 currently being treated in medical facilities, according to data shared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In some areas across the state, hospitals have become so full with patients ambulances have been forced to wait up to an hour outside of facilities. The overwhelming surge has also caused a staffing shortage in some areas.
A recent poll by the Florida Hospital Association found that 60 percent of hospitals in the state expect to be understaffed this week. To address the issue, some hospitals, such as Miami's Jackson Memorial Health System, are dishing out $500 bonuses for nurses who pick up extra shifts.
Dr. Marc Napp, Chief Medical Officer of Memorial Healthcare System hospitals in South Florida, said last week the current number of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital is the highest he's ever seen.
"This is the highest number of patients Memorial has ever seen. It's the sheer number coming in at the same time. There are only so many beds, so many doctors, only so many nurses," Napp warned.
Despite the latest surge, Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has opposed following CDC guidelines and refused to implement mask mandates or social distancing protocols. DeSantis is now facing defiance from multiple Florida schools who seek to implement mask requirements for students, despite an executive order prohibiting such rules.
Newsweek contacted the Florida Department of Health for additional comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.
