BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Health First is suspending all “non-emergency” surgeries that require an overnight hospital stay for at least the next two weeks, as a result of the surge in COVID-19 cases in the community and increasing hospitalizations.
The decision will impact Health First’s four hospitals — Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Palm Bay Hospital and Viera Hospital, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
In announcing the action on Friday during Brevard County’s weekly COVID-19 briefing, Lance Skelly, Health First’s spokesman, said: “The reason for this was so that we can continue to be prepared with space across our hospital facilities, if needed. This is just a proactive measure.”
Skelly said COVID-19 patient counts are rising at Health First’s four hospitals, with 115 such patients on Friday. On Dec. 22, there were 14. Of those currently hospitalized, about 95% of them who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
“That’s very telling there,” Skelly said, in urging the unvaccinated to get a vaccine.
For context, though, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at Health First hospitals is nowhere near the summer peak of 333 during the delta variant surge, Skelly added.
Skelly said Health First also is limiting the number of visitors with patients in its emergency department to one at bedside or in the waiting area.
Soaring case counts
Meanwhile, overall COVID-19 case counts have been soaring in Brevard County in recent weeks, as they have throughout Florida and the nation.
For example, the Florida Department of Health reported that the number of new cases in Brevard rose to 4,979 in Brevard during the week of Dec. 24-30. That’s up from 1,216 a week earlier and 307 two weeks earlier.
Despite that, the number of newly vaccinated Brevard residents fell to 1,709 during the week of Dec. 24-30, down from 2,320 the previous week.
Barry Inman, an epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health-Brevard, termed the increase in case counts “basically incredible.”
The weekly total of new cases in Brevard were as low as 227 during the week of Nov. 12-18, and increased more than tenfold since then.
Inman said he believes Christmas and New Year’s holiday get-togethers exacerbated the spread of the easily transmittable omicron variant of the virus that now is the dominant strain.
Inman said he expects case counts in Brevard to continue to rise for the next several weeks before potentially declining, starting in February.
But he added that that case counts have been “extremely hard to predict.”
The good news, though, is that hospitalizations are not at the level experienced during the delta variant surge in cases, Inman said.
Inman and other officials at the county’s weekly briefing emphasized the need for residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine, plus any recommended booster; to wear a face covering when indoors; to practice social distancing; to practice good hand-washing; to stay home when sick.
“This isn’t just a government or health care problem,” Brevard County Emergency Management Director John Scott said. “This is a community problem.”
Scott said residents must not be passive, but rather should be proactive with the mitigation strategies to help slow the spread of the virus and to “protect our neighbors.”
Hospitals see more admissions
Other local hospitals also have been reporting an increase in their numbers of COVID-19 patients in recent weeks.
As of Thursday, Steward Health Care’s Melbourne Regional Medical Center and Rockledge Regional Medical Center were providing inpatient care to 33 COVID-19 patients. Seven of those were in the intensive-care unit, Steward spokeswoman Cathy Pague said.
Pague said, in response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the community, Steward’s Melbourne and Rockledge hospitals on Dec. 31 revised their visitor policies.
General visiting hours now are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with different hours in the ICU and other areas. For more information, call 321-752-1200.
“Our clinicians continue to urge our community to get vaccinated and a booster shot,” Pague added.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Parrish Medical Center in Titusville was treating 20 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. None were in the ICU, said Natalie Sellers, Parrish Healthcare spokesperson. Twelve of those 20 patients were vaccinated, while eight were unvaccinated.
“At this time, no changes to visitation, elective surgeries or other,” Sellers said. “All (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) COVID-19 mitigations strategies are still active.”
Although there has not been an increase in demand for COVID-19 vaccines locally, the demand for COVID-19 tests has risen in recent weeks, creating longer-than-normal waiting times at testing facilities and shortages of at-home testing kits at retail outlets.
Scott said Brevard County is working to increase the testing capacity at local facilities, and is seeking help from the federal and state governments as well, including on supplies of at-time testing kits.
Where to get tested:
The following Brevard County Emergency Management Office-supported sites are available for COVID-19 testing.
- Florida Department of Health-Brevard, 2555 Judge Fran Jamison Way, Viera; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. This is a walk-up site with no appointment required.
- Parrish Medical Center, 951 N. Washington Ave., Titusville; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday, This is a drive-thru site with appointments preferred, but walk-ins welcome.
- Rockledge City Center, 920 Barton Blvd., Rockledge, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. The site as at the southwest corner of the Rockledge City Center parking lot, near the intersection of Barton and Fiske boulevards. This is a drive-thru site with preregistration recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.
- West Melbourne Community Park, 3000 Minton Road, West Melbourne (use Fell Road entrance to the park); 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday. This is a walk-up site, with preregistration recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.
Testing also is available to established or new Omni Healthcare patients at its offices in Brevard County. To book an appointment, patients can call their Omni doctor’s office.
Various other urgent-care centers, private physicians’ offices and pharmacies also provide COVID-19 tests, and some retailers sell in-home test kits.
Additionally, the website www.211Brevard.org has a list of sites offering testing. Some of those sites require reservations, while others allow walk-ins.
Where to get vaccinated:
The Florida Department of Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines at three sites:
- Melbourne clinic, 601 E. University Blvd., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can get vaccinated only from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
- Titusville clinic, 611 N. Singleton Ave., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can get vaccinated only from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
- Viera clinic, 2555 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can get vaccinated only from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Residents also can get vaccinated at Omni Healthcare’s offices, as well as at its walk-in vaccination clinic located in Suite 303 on the third floor of 1344 S. Apollo Blvd. in Melbourne, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Vaccinations also are available from 9 a.m. to noon in Suite 2C of Omni’s 1344 S. Apollo Blvd. complex.
Walk-ins are accepted. But appointments can be made by calling 321-802-5515 or by emailing the request and including a name and phone number to COVID@OMNIhealthcare.com.
COVID-19 vaccines also are available at pharmacies at various local CVS, Publix, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie stores, as well as some urgent-care centers and physician offices. Check the individual site for appointment requirements and vaccine availability.
Where to get the monoclonal antibody treatment:
The monoclonal antibody treatment operation is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily under an outdoor tented area in the southwest corner of the Rockledge City Center parking lot, at 920 Barton Blvd. The site is at the intersection of Barton and Fiske boulevards.
Appointments are required, as is proof of a positive COVID-19 test result. Appointments can be made at https://www.patientportalfl.com/.