The Florida Hospital Association is sounding the alarm, saying a survey shows 68 hospitals have less than a 48-hour supply of oxygen.
Hospitals are using three to four times as much oxygen as they were before the pandemic because more than 17,000 patients are hospitalized statewide with COVID-19. The FHA survey, which was done today, shows 68 hospitals have less than 48 hours worth of supply, with about half of these have less than 36 hours.
“This is not like running out of masks, right? This is life saving," said Florida Hospital Association President Mary Mayhew. "And right now we're focused on how to make sure that does not happen. And so hospitals have been raising these concerns, with the state, with the division of emergency management, with the governor's office, and have raised these concerns federally.”
Mayhew says part of the problem is a lack of delivery drivers. But she is also worried that there is an oxygen supply problem.
Since July 1, 29 hospitals have seen their oxygen supply dip below 12 hours.
“They’re making frantic calls, trying to find where their driver is because they were supposed to get a delivery and now it’s 10 hours, 12 hours overdue," Mayhew said.
Calls and emails to the governor's office, the Agency for Health Care Administration and Florida Division of Emergency Management were not immediately returned.
Hospitals reached in Central Florida say they have enough oxygen to meet demand.
