Florida is currently experiencing the Delta variant's most severe COVID-19 spike yet.Hospitals are facing increasing pressure with rising wait times and low oxygen levels.Insider spoke to doctors and other medical professionals more than a year later about the devastating effects of this battle.Insider Healthcare: Get the latest news and analysis in healthcare Loading Click to sign up for marketing emails from Insider and other partners. You also agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy PolicyEd Jimenez was strolling down the hall of University of Florida Health Shands Hospital when he met a nurse.Jimenez, CEO of Gainesville's teaching hospital with more than 1,000 beds, has had to deal with a relentless pandemic that has made it difficult for him to maintain morale among his staff."Everybody I spoke to was putting on a beautiful exterior: 'We got that. He shared his story with Insider in an interview this week.He could still see their pain. He was reminded by the nurse of one of the most disturbing scenes of the pandemic.She told him that when they get to a point where someone isn't going to make it, she would go to the family to say good-bye through the glass window.The state has been fighting the disease with its most brutal tactics since the beginning of the week due to an explosion in the highly transmissible Delta virus variant. Florida is now the epicenter for a new wave in infections in the US. Its vaccination rate is much lower than states like Connecticut or New York.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 24,000 COVID-19 new cases were reported in Florida on Saturday. This is an all-time high for the state. Additional 93 people died and over 13,000 were admitted to the hospital.Comparatively, the state reported only 1,250 new infections in June 1.Insider was told by a spokesperson for UF Health Shands Hospital that the hospital had received 204 COVID-19 patients as of Saturday. Forty-four patients were being treated in the ICU.Baptist Health, a network of 11 hospitals, had 810 COVID-19-positive patients as of Friday. A representative confirmed that this is 97% more than two weeks ago.Florida's intensive care units are becoming increasingly full. This means that Florida's final moments with loved one, separated by glass barriers and face shields, is a reality."You are only emotionally broken"Insider spoke to seven local doctors and hospital leaders to learn how they are responding to the crisis.Steve Kessel, a South Florida physician at Palm Beach Medical Center or Jupiter Medical Center, stated that some frontline physicians have been spending too much time arguing with sick patients, even though they know that the vaccine is wrong. He said that it is causing frustration and even anger among medical professionals.One South Florida hospital has had COVID patients wait in the triage area up to one day because there were no ICU beds immediately available. A doctor who was not authorized to speak to media requested to remain anonymous.Jimenez, a Gainesville-based nurse at UF Health Shands Hospital, focused his attention on a growing sentiment among doctors and nurses: depletion.Jimenez stated, "Humanly you will break at some point." "You only emotionally break.""If you lose this bet, you might die"According to Johns Hopkins University data, 50.8 percent of Florida adults are fully vaccinated. The Delta variant preys on the approximately half of Florida's adults who aren’t."It's been frustrating to realize that we have excellent preventative measures at the moment. David Wein, chief emergency medicine at Tampa General Hospital said that we are so fortunate to have a vaccine. "This adds to the frustration of not being able to access it and use it to its full potential."Jimenez stated that he has heard of patients asking for vaccinations after falling ill. It's clear that it is too late.Paul Schwartz, a South Florida doctor, noticed something else. There was continued defiance among some regarding the severity of the disease.He was particularly puzzled by a recent conversation with a friend who is a venture capitalist. Schwartz stated that the investor believed his chances of acquiring COVID and dying from COVID were very small.The physician said, "My comment was that it was an all-in wager." "If you lose this bet, it could lead to your death."Backlogs are created by high numbers of patientsBarry Burton, Pinellas County's county administrator, stated that COVID patients are increasing rapidly and that taxation is not only being levied on emergency medical services.Insider reported that the situation has "taxed our healthcare system", including our emergency rooms, ambulances, fire rescue and ambulances.The county's ambulance system was once able to transfer patients to hospitals in just 15 minutes.Burton stated that patients are being forced to wait in ambulances for up to an hour or longer because of backups at county hospitals. This is putting emergency units out-of-service. Patients who are new to the area must wait longer to be picked up or the fire department must step in to provide transfers.Hospitals are facing a shortage of nurses across the country.Kevin Taylor, Baptist Health's emergency room director in Boynton Beach's Bethesda Hospital, stated that the staff of nurses are making up the difference by volunteering for additional shifts.He said, "You worry about the strain and fatigue."Overworked hospitals started diverting patients elsewhereJimenez from the UF Health Shands Hospital said that his hospital had rescheduled elective surgeries for next week in order to make sure that there are enough ICU beds.He stated that Putnam Community Medical Center (a 99-bed hospital in Palatka) had to redirect some patients to the North Florida Regional Medical Center (523 beds) last week because of a patient overload.Both hospitals can be found in Alachua County, northern Florida. Alachua County, like the rest of Florida, has seen a sharp increase in the number of cases since the beginning of the summer. Although not yet stalled in its vaccination rate, it has increased from 56% in mid June to 61% by the beginning of August.Insider was informed by an HCA North Florida spokesperson that Putnam Community Medical Center's oxygen capability tool warned last week that it was nearing its upper threshold for "a limited time."According to a spokesperson, the hospital took "proactive steps" to divert patients to larger facilities in order to lessen the strain on oxygen systems.There could be even more challenging times aheadAs dire as the situation may seem, many Florida doctors fear it could get worse, especially with schools opening up in the next week.Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis previously issued an executive directive prohibiting the wearing of masks in classrooms. However, Mike Burke, superintendent of Palm Beach County's public schools, informed families that he would still require them unless the parents opt out.Rochelle Walensky (director of the CDC) warned last month that facial coverings might not be sufficient to stop future coronavirus mutations which could thwart vaccines. This scenario could cause hospitals already under pressure to go broke.Kessel stated that ultimately, Floridians will decide what happens next.He said that misinformation regarding vaccines was partly to blame for the failure of state public health efforts. He compared dangerous urban legends with "superstitions".He said that if we believed in superstitions, then "we'd still use leeches and witch physicians to cure people."
