News Service of Florida
COVID-19 deaths top 4,100
More than 4,100 Florida resident deaths this year have been linked to COVID-19, with the reported total jumping during the past two weeks. Data posted Monday on the Florida Department of Health website showed 4,143 deaths, up from 3,598 reported about two weeks ago. The number of deaths also was up from 2,972 reported at the beginning of July and 2,740 in early June. This year’s pace of deaths, however, is lower than during the past four years. The pandemic hit the state in 2020. That year, Florida had a reported 23,349 deaths, according to state data. The number jumped to 39,871 in 2021, before declining to 21,301 in 2022 and 8,438 in 2023. This year, Miami-Dade County has had the most reported deaths, with 408. It is followed by Palm Beach County with 320 deaths and Pinellas County with 241.
Judge approves sale of hospitals
A bankruptcy judge Tuesday approved the sale of three hospitals in Brevard and Indian River counties to Orlando Health. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez issued an order approving the sales of Melbourne Regional Medical Center and Rockledge Regional Medical Center in Brevard County and Sebastian River Medical Center in Indian River County. Orlando Health agreed to pay $439 million in cash to buy the hospitals from Steward Health Care, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. In addition to the hospitals in Brevard and Indian River counties, Steward owns Coral Gables Hospital, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital in Miami-Dade County and Florida Medical Center in Broward County. Bankruptcy court documents do not show a successful bidder for those hospitals. The Texas-based Steward also has operated hospitals in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Orlando Health last month also announced an agreement to buy Tenet Healthcare’s majority interest in Brookwood Baptist Health in Birmingham, Ala.