AdventHealth Morning Briefing: As COVID-19 cases rise, lessons learned are improving patient outcomes 

June 25, 2020 — Dr. Vincent Hsu, an epidemiologist and AdventHealth’s infection control officer, and Dr. Eduardo Oliveira, executive medical director of critical care, spoke about the increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida, the impact on our community and the latest in science.

Highlights from the briefing include:

• The rising number of COVID-positive people in Florida and its impact on hospitals
• Possible treatments to limit the spread and severity of the virus
• Tips on what you can do to keep yourself, your family, and your community healthy during the pandemic

“As the number of cases increase in the community, we are seeing that also in our hospitals,” said Hsu. “We are unfortunately at an all-time high with respect to hospitalizations, but we are well-prepared to handle this. We are not in crisis mode. We want to do what we can in the community to keep these cases as low as possible.”

Though COVID infection numbers are rising rapidly in Florida, the death rate is not, suggesting health professionals may be getting a better handle on the treatment of the virus.

“We have more availability of treatments now, and we’ve learned more advanced ways of treating those patients,” said Oliveira. “The younger population tends to be more resilient. They have less co-morbidities, other illnesses or diseases that tend to make the virus more lethal.”

Both doctors emphasized that wearing masks, practicing proper social distancing, and making smart decisions with regard to personal and community health are essential in the battle against COVID-19.

We encourage you to refer to the video on the Life at AdventHealth Central Florida page to pull direct quotes from Hsu and Oliveira. You can also download it here: https://vimeo.com/432241397#t=213s