"We’re really kind of bracing and trying to do everything we can to prepare for what may come. But we don’t really have a good estimation for what that is."

The Tampa Bay area is back on the brink of a possible surge in hospitalizations related to the coronavirus, and data shows the local health care system’s ability to respond has eroded since the spring.

Between early April and now, about 38 percent more people have been admitted to hospitals in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties, according to state data analyzed by the Tampa Bay Times.

Elective surgeries have resumed and doctors say patients who have put off routine care are starting to show up again — all while the state sees record-breaking increases in COVID-19 infections that don’t appear to be slowing down.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times