Baptist Health Jacksonville, UF Health Jacksonville COVID-19 patient counts on the increase

Jacksonville hospitals reported increased COVID-19 patient counts on Friday as the city continues to be a pandemic hot spot.

Baptist Health reported 437 COVID-19 patients in its five Jacksonville-area hospitals as of Friday morning, up from 433 the day before.

And UF Health Jacksonville reported an increase of 17 patients over the previous day.

At Baptist, 91 of the COVID-19 patients are in intensive care. Sixteen of them are children being treated at Wolfson Children's Hospital, where three young patients are in intensive care, according to Baptist's latest report. 

© Bob Self/Florida Times-Union The Baptist Health complex in Jacksonville. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]

Friday's patient count at Baptist included 69 new COVID-19 patients, including four children.

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Of the total patients there age 12 and over, who can get the vaccine, 95 percent are unvaccinated, according to the report. All area hospitals have been reporting that at least 90 percent of their COVID-19 patients were not vaccinated.

The rate of increase has slowed from the start of the week, when Baptist reported a net rise of more than 30 patients between Monday and Tuesday.

UF Health Jacksonville reported 203 COVID-19 patients at its two area hosptials on Friday morning, including 51 in intensive care. 

Mayo Clinic, Ascension St. Vincent's, Memorial Hospital and Orange Park Medical Center are not providing dCOVID-19 patient count updates.

Florida has become a COVID-19 hot spot and, according to a Florida Hospital Association survey, the Jacksonville area is among the state's hardest-hit regions based on COVID-19 related hospitalizations.

Beth Reese Cravey: bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Baptist Health Jacksonville, UF Health Jacksonville COVID-19 patient counts on the increase