Ana Pena says her father, Jose, has been in the hospital for the past three days being treated for COVID-19.
“Very scared. Very anxious,” Pena said. “This has been something indescribable for my family.”
Pena says her father is on a wait list for the drug Remdesivir— an emergency treatment for coronavirus patients.
“This is vital to the survival of these patients that are waiting,” she said. “There are some patients that have been waiting longer than my dad.”
On Saturday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said hospitals would be getting extra shipments of the drug over the weekend.
However, the shortage is just part of a larger issue hospitals have been facing. The recent uptick in COVID cases across Florida has been putting a strain on South Florida hospitals.
ICU beds are running out at most hospitals.
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According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, in Broward County, about nine percent are available.
In Miami-Dade County, about 13 percent of ICU beds are available.
However, the AHCA doesn’t specify how many of the beds were taken by COVID patients.
Memorial Hospital West has converted parts of the hospital into overflow centers.
Auditoriums, conference areas and classrooms have been converted as well.
Florida added 10,360 new coronavirus cases Saturday, the third-highest number on record, bringing the state total to 254,511.
Nearly 40% of the cases were reported in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
