In panel discussion with Governor Ron DeSantis, CEOs of Florida hospitals say unvaccinated majority of COVID-19 patients

ORLANDO, Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a virtual roundtable Wednesday morning with CEOs of Florida hospitals.

The panel discussion began around 10 a.m. with several health executives including Orlando Health CEO David Strong and Orlando Health chief medical officer Dr George Ralls.

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The virtual chat comes as Florida broke another hospitalization record with 11,515 people hospitalized on Tuesday, breaking last year’s record for the third day in a row and down from just 1,000 in mid-June.

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A common refrain among attendees at the Governor’s Roundtable was that between 95% and 99% of patients treated across their hospital systems are not vaccinated.

“It’s a really important message for people to hear that despite the news coming out about people who are fully vaccinated and still getting COVID, those numbers are low, number one, and they’re absolutely still in a better situation. than they would have been. they got COVID without the vaccine, ”Ralls said.

In addition to hospital CEOs and doctors on the appeal, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry also took part in the roundtable. He echoed their message on vaccinations.

“A lot of people are scared and panicking. This is, from my point of view, the solution: to get vaccinated. I’m not suggesting forcing, forcing or forcing people to get vaccinated, but we continue to work together to inform them that the vaccine is working, that it will prevent you from going to the hospital and that it will keep you from getting really, really sick, ”Curry said.

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News 6 has contacted the governor’s office to find out what the state’s plans are to improve immunization rates. This story will be updated if a response is available.

While most hospital CEOs said they saw breakthrough cases among those vaccinated, they pointed out that these cases were rare and in most cases mild.

“12% of our admissions are from people who have been vaccinated, half of that group are people who come for reasons other than COVID,” said Carlos Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System. “So about a quarter of our HIV positive people – we have 280 COVID positive patients right now – a quarter of them are here for other purposes and are asymptomatic. Of course, when we test them we find out that they have COVID, but they are not there for COVID. “

Besides vaccinations, a big topic of conversation during the panel discussion was monoclonal antibodies – an antibody treatment for people infected with the coronavirus.

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“I’ll tell you from our perspective, both anecdotal and scientific, they work,” said John Couris. “As an anecdote, almost 100% of our patients told us that 24 to 48 hours later, they feel much better and that the symptoms start to improve. We do 35 to 40 treatments per day.

Couris added that they have started giving the antibody treatment “prophylactically to a certain type of high risk patient.” In other words, some patients – such as those undergoing organ transplants – are given monoclonal antibodies as a protective measure against COVID.

Health experts have warned that antibody therapy is for people in the early stages of the infection. The governor said his administration would work to continue education on the availability of monoclonal antibodies as a treatment.

In central Florida, Orlando Health said it does not currently offer monoclonal antibody treatments, but they

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“In fact, we don’t do this in our emergency departments (emergency departments) at the moment due to the volumes of inpatient emergency departments, which really forces us to use all that space for care. acute at the moment, ”said Ralls.

He added that the hospital is arranging monoclonal antibody treatments for patients “in concert with some of our outpatient resources.”

Orlando Health added that they believe they have reached a plateau in new cases – with around 500 patients over the past week – and the hope is that they will see a trend similar to what has been seen in the UK, which experienced a rapid downward trend after its peak.

DeSantis insisted on Tuesday that the increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations would moderate over the next two weeks and that it would not impose any trade restrictions or mask warrants.

“We are not closing,” DeSantis said. “We are going to open schools. We protect the work of every Floridian in this state. We protect small businesses from people. These interventions have failed repeatedly throughout this pandemic, not only in the United States but abroad. They haven’t stopped the spread, especially with the delta.

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President Joe Biden has criticized several heads of state, including DeSantis, for responding to the increase in the number of cases nationwide.

“If you’re not going to help, at least avoid the people who are trying to do the right thing,” Biden said.

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