Florida’s COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped 24% this week

The number of Florida hospital inpatients with COVID-19 jumped 24 percent during the past week after a nearly 20 percent increase the previous week, according to data posted Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The data showed that 1,941 inpatients had COVID-19, up from 1,560 a week earlier and 1,303 two weeks earlier.

Also, the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units has increased. The new data showed 168 COVID-19 patients needing intensive care, up from 131 a week earlier and 103 two weeks earlier.

Florida in recent weeks has seen increases in overall numbers of COVID-19 cases, though the numbers remain far lower than early in the year, when the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus swept across the state.

This article appears in May 19-25, 2022.