TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Some hope came from local hospitals Friday during Tallahassee Memorial's State of COVID Update.
TMH, Capitol Regional and Bond Community Health are all reporting a decline in hospitalization rates from people who have the virus. CRMC said they reached a low of 11 patients this week, numbers they haven't seen since the pandemic started.
TMH said their lowest rate this week was 13 people. As far as fighting the spread, County Chairman Rick Minor said the Leon mask mandate is still in place but hopefully it could see it lifted by the summertime.
"If we mitigate the spread of these variants, which are very concerning -- I think we have a good shot at being able to relax those mask mandates come summer," said Minor. "But, it really depends on what the CDC and the Florida Department of Health are saying. If we continue to wear a mask, if we continue to wash our hands frequently for 20 seconds, if we continue to stay that six-foot distance from people. We may come to a point, in two to three months, where we can relax those over the summer."
Bond Community Health CEO Dr. Temple Robinson also reminded people today to find a "medical home." It means getting a primary care doctor, which you will need not only for emergencies but if you want to be considered "medically vulnerable" for a COVID vaccine.
