AdventHealth To Resume Normal Operations As Cases Decline

Daytona Beach, FL - After a drop in COVID-19 cases throughout their hospital system, AdventHealth announces plans to resume operations. The Altamonte Springs-based health care system announced that facilities are starting to transition into a "green" status, meaning medical personnel can resume more elective procedures, as stated during a morning briefing on Facebook Live. The transition into the "green" status, per AdventHealth, came after the system tallied about 500 patients with COVID-19 Thursday morning (February 18th), which is down from mid-January’s tally of 800 COVID-19 patients. "We’ve continued to see a decline in our COVID hospitalized patients," Dr. Neil Finkler, chief medical officer of acute care services for the Central Florida Division said. "All the numbers are pointing in the right direction." Per Finkler, the move to a "green" status was determined by an algorithm that accounts for the number of patients, hospital staffing, and other additional factors such as supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). In a nutshell, the move means there are restrictions on elective procedures as staffing and equipment are adequate. “What we are saying is we are functioning as a normal facility,” Finkler added. “We are all systems go.” This announcement also follows a similar change in the health care system’s operation that took place back on Tuesday (February 16th). During that announcement, AdventHealth, again citing a drop in COVID-19 cases, revealed a change in visitor policies that will allow patients who are not suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 two visitors per day. Interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine? Visit AdventHealth’s website CoronavirusVaccineAlerts.com and sign up to find out when a vaccination event is happening near you.