FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - COVID-19 cases have filled so many Florida hospital beds that ambulance services and fire departments are straining to respond to emergencies.In St.
Petersburg, some patients wait inside ambulances for up to an hour before hospitals can admit them — a process that usually takes about 15 minutes, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said.While ambulances sit outside emergency rooms, they are essentially off the grid."They’re not available to take another call, which forces the fire department on scene at an accident or something to take that transport.