Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach Record High Of 322 On Monday

August 9, 2021

The number of current COVID-19 hospitalizations in Escambia County increased Monday to a daily record of 322. That compares to a high of 291 back in January.

On Monday, there were 322 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in Ascension Sacred Heart, Baptist and West Florida hospitals. One week ago, there were 216, and two weeks ago there were 107.

West Florida Healthcare CEO Gay Nord said nationally about 94% of all patients hospitalized or COVID are unvaccinated, and local numbers are very much the same.

“The highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates,” she said. “Virtually all hospitalizations and deaths have been among the unvaccinated.” She added that the severity of illness is greater with the Delta variant and is much more contagious.

“The only defense we have to minimize illness and death is the vaccine. I appeal to you today, as I know all of my colleagues will do the same, to get vaccinated if you have not,” Nord said. “The burden on our community and our healthcare system is real.”

Comments

25 Responses to “Escambia County COVID-19 Hospitalizations Reach Record High Of 322 On Monday”

  1. Warren on August 13th, 2021 7:11 am

    To the political junkies. Go ahead and stay unvaccinated. The grand ole party cutting its own number of voters. Carry on!

  2. this is facts on August 10th, 2021 5:40 pm

    This is the facts hitting you right in the face, no way around it! Face it head on, so we can get this behind us.

    Get vaccinated as soon as possible and wear a mask to protect yourself and others, there is just no other way, this is facts.

    You are not allowed to smoke inside buildings because second hand smoke is harmful to others, if you want to smoke it has to be outdoors. Masks in doors!

  3. NFLorida on August 10th, 2021 2:21 pm

    God brought us the vaccine. Praise Jesus.

  4. Steven Brody on August 10th, 2021 9:04 am

    What part of this do you not understand? Currently around 98% of people being hospitalized for COVID are not vaccinated.

    Yes, that means that 2% of the people hospitalized did get the vaccine, but it DOESN’T MEAN that “the experts were wrong.” They told you up front that the vaccine was 90-95% effective.

    2-5% of people in a state with 20 million people in it is a lot of people. but it DOESN’T MEAN that the vaccine doesn’t work as described.

    The fact that grown-up adults actually need this explained to them is nothing short of stunning.

  5. Citizen on August 10th, 2021 6:44 am

    I trust science. Get vaccinated, dummies.

  6. DB on August 10th, 2021 6:01 am

    @Move there America doesn’t do government mandates?

    Drug free schools, family educational rights and privacy act, Americans with disabilities act, the federal reserve mandate. I will run out of room and time before I get to one tenth of the government mandates that America has.

  7. Bob on August 9th, 2021 9:56 pm

    @Move There

    Patriotism is recognizing faults within your own country and working to fix them.

    You know what is not patriotism?

    Telling someone who is actually being a patriot to move to another country.

  8. Of a Certain Age on August 9th, 2021 8:31 pm

    Cutting through the claptrap anti-vaxxers are spewing:

    Every school age child has had to prove vaccinations for multiple diseases in this county, state, and country for years.

    This isn’t new, there’s no microchip in the vaccine, there’s no guvamint plan to depopulate the country.

    Anti-vaxxers are depopulating themselves based on a carnival barking charlatan and his devotees.

    You want to get back to normal?

    Get the shot, mask up, and have a care for your fellow citizens.

  9. Just so they know on August 9th, 2021 8:25 pm

    Some of these young people who won’t be responsible in the community and get their vaccinations are about to tick off a bunch off of old people who have stayed home, got their shots in the spring and were starting to get back to a life.

    They are stupid enough to post it publicly here and on facebook. You aren’t funny.

  10. Citizen on August 9th, 2021 8:19 pm

    The “Freedom to Infect” movement
    Denial is also strong psychological defense.

    Yes we have had elected procedure cancelled also that we had put off last year.

    We are not playing fun and games here anymore.

  11. Lee on August 9th, 2021 7:28 pm

    How can anyone read this report and not acknowledge we are failing as a community? Beds will soon be full, families will be mourning.

  12. Move there on August 9th, 2021 6:04 pm

    @Jean if you like Paris France so much go ahead and move there. In America we don’t do governmental mandates. Especially in regards to a drug that is not FDA approved. Take your communist thinking elsewhere please.

  13. Lee on August 9th, 2021 5:21 pm

    @northofI10. There is no “conversely” in your statement. Responsibility and fear aren’t opposites. When hospitals are full of Covid patients, there will be no beds for people with other medical issues, planned or unplanned. What’s your plan if a loved one has a medical emergency and hospitals are full? Traveling another 100 miles or so isn’t a great option in many cases.

  14. Paul on August 9th, 2021 5:17 pm

    @NorthofI10too
    I didn’t credit anybody. I said the new guy spiked the ball too soon.
    I’ll stand by my comment. you proved my point.
    Good Luck ;)

  15. Bill on August 9th, 2021 4:49 pm

    lol @ the 94% in there who were too stupid to get vaccinated

    see you but wouldn’t want to be you

    Hear that?

    That’s the sound of the average IQ rising in our community.

  16. Josh Jones on August 9th, 2021 4:46 pm

    @Alison

    I, also, was scheduled for a procedure last week – but cancelled because of news of the hospitals filling up with COVID patients. I hate to think it, but there may be many non-COVID patients who won’t be able to get the care they need.

  17. Jean on August 9th, 2021 4:16 pm

    Paris, France has the right idea. Mandate masks, ID cards for those vaccinated, etc.as a requirement to get into restaurants, bars, movies, concerts, etc. We’ve been staying home. Now those unvaccinated can stay home.

  18. Alison on August 9th, 2021 4:04 pm

    Think about this for a moment——I was scheduled for a breast MRI due to a suspicious lump. I have breast cancer in my family and a baby at home. I just got a call that my MRI has to be delayed due to the strain on the hospital system. Rejecting the covid vaccine and ending up in the hospital has consequences for you and your neighbors.

  19. Alison on August 9th, 2021 4:01 pm

    @ David

    The vaccines are effective against the Delta variant. Dawn Rudolph, CEO of Sacred Heart gave a press conference today and addressed that question. I have cut and pasted some of her remarks here:
    ………”The second point I’d like to make is that it can break through to the un-vaccinated. So Scott’s point about wearing a mask is very important. But efficacy of the vaccine is a high 90% for the COVID-19 virus. The Delta variant has less than that efficacy just a bit, as it is a mutation of the original virus, but it’s still in the high 80%. So the vaccination is your best protection against this variant. The virulence of this Delta variant is a thousand fold higher than the original strain. So we are seeing sicker patients in our hospital, which translates to mortality rates.”

  20. NorthofI10too on August 9th, 2021 4:00 pm

    Hey Paul, looks like you’re the only one on here making it “political”! The vax has its merits, but with thousands of people getting covid after being vaxed, I’ll wait to see what the long-term effects are on humans before I put it in my body just to ease your fears. I trust God to protect me, not people. If you are a believer, you should be at peace as well. None of us will leave this world one single second before God says so, vaxed or not! What happened to “my body, my choice”? Oh, that only counts for abortion doesn’t it? Unvaxed people kill other people, but a abortions don’t hurt anybody…right?

    So you’ve had your vax eh…. Instead of crediting the current Whitehouse occupant who tried to take credit for the creation of the vax you received, try crediting the last President who, in fact, created “warped speed” testing to get the vax into your arm. Oh, but that would be “political” wouldn’t it?

  21. David on August 9th, 2021 3:11 pm

    Question I have, are the vaccinations good for the Delta variant, or just the original Covid variant?

  22. Citizen on August 9th, 2021 2:59 pm

    Good thing they have the prevention readily available for all.

  23. Paul on August 9th, 2021 2:50 pm

    It’s crazy that some people are making this political because the one who never got a handle on it and would only deny then downplay it by calling it a hoax and say it will go away after the elections. Meanwhile their base is dying off. I know this for fact. I’ve known too many who have died from this and they were deniers. I also think our new pres spiked the ball too soon. We’re only days away from our hospitals being max cap.
    I’m sure glad I got my shot.

  24. NorthofI10too on August 9th, 2021 2:49 pm

    Conversely, others rights don’t end where your fear begins!

  25. northofI10 on August 9th, 2021 2:41 pm

    94% UNVACCINATED in hospital ICU’s. There are no excuses for not being vaccinated and now we all suffer and are once again stretching our medical personnel to the limit. What over politics and labels? We all have rights but we have to recognize those rights come with responsibilities and limits when they interfere with the rights of others. Not getting vaccinated is a right but is it a right to effect others’ health and their rights?