In a Monday coronavirus briefing, Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed what reopening Florida hospitals may look like during a panel shared by Tampa General Hospital epidemiologists, medical staff and leaders.
Among them, Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health, outlined four preconditions for the safe re-opening of hospitals:
?Tracing exposure ?Serology (antibodies testing will begin at TGH today) — WUFT News (@WUFTNews) April 27, 2020
"We are ready to open," said John Couris, CEO and president of Tampa General Hospital. Couris expects the hospital to resume full fuctionality for elective surgeries as soon as May 11, three days after the governor's initial "essential business" executive order will expire.
Patients scheduled for elective surgeries, newly defined as "essential" in light of the governor's most recent decree,will be tested for coronavirus upon 48 hours of admittance to the hospital.
On the horizon, Gov. DeSantis announced the state's first shipment of antibodies tests to arrive on May 1.
Here are the latest COVID-19 updates by the Florida Department of Health, as of Monday evening:
- 32,138 total cases in Florida
- 5,010 hospitalizations in Florida
- 1,088 deaths in Florida
Alachua County:
- 254 total cases
- 42 hospitalizations
- Two deaths
Find the full FDOH coronavirus dashboard here.