Doctors in South Florida walk out in protest of unvaccinated patients.Photo: Lannis Waters/Palm Beach Post/USA Today
With a deluge ofunvaccinated COVID-19 patientsfilling up area hospitals, around 75 doctors from South Florida staged a news conference on Monday to urge people to get inoculated.
Early in the morning before the start of their shifts, the doctors briefly stood outside and spoke against the high number of people in the Palm Beach area whorefuse to get vaccinated.
“We are exhausted. Our patience and resources are running low and we need your help,” Dr. Rupesh Dharia, from Palm Beach Internal Medicine,told WFLA News.
Florida is currently dealing with the highest number of new COVID-19 infections in the country as the state shatters previous daily records. On Monday, Florida reported 21,329 new cases, and the state now has 17,215 people hospitalized with the virus, an increase of 24% over the last 14 days,according toThe New York Times. Deaths totaled 228 on Monday, an 86% jump over the last two weeks.
The doctors said that they want more Floridians to get vaccinated and prevent this rush at area hospitals. Just over half of the state’s population — 52% — is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Chapin said that it can be frustrating to treat patients who could have avoided getting sickif they had been vaccinated.
“The irony is difficult to deal with some times,” he said. “It’s [them] trying to reach out to us when we’ve already extended our hand to help them. And they’ve pushed it aside, and ignored our advice, and then they come back asking. And it’s frustrating, and heartbreaking.”
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source: people.com
