Miami-Dade County official tests positive for COVID-19, raising concerns over Surfside site

Jose “Pepe” Diaz, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Commissioners Council, has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said in a statement Sunday evening.

Diaz’s chief of staff, Isidoro Lopez, has also tested positive for the virus.

“The two started to experience flu-like symptoms earlier today and will go into self-isolation,” the statement said. “Staff and others who have been in close contact with them will be tested between today and tomorrow.”

Both men have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the statement said.

Although the chances of contracting the new coronavirus after being fully vaccinated are very rare, so-called revolutionary cases are still possible. Health officials and experts have warned that new, more contagious variants of the virus may be more effective at evading vaccines.

Diaz, 60, was among those responsible at the site of a condominium collapse in the small seaside town of Surfside, about 10 miles north of Miami Beach. Since the deadly disaster occurred before dawn on June 24, Diaz has been seen regularly attending press briefings and closed-door meetings. News of his infection has raised concerns about a possible outbreak among those who have been to the site.

For weeks, hundreds of first responders from various search and rescue teams across Florida, the United States and even other countries combed through the vast wreckage of Surfside, removing bodies and belongings. layers of rubble. During a July 2 press briefing, Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky revealed that at least six workers have tested positive for COVID-19. The workers were members of the same working group but were no longer on the site. Investigators were conducting contact tracing and testing on all other workers, according to Cominsky.

It was not clear whether the infected workers had been vaccinated or if someone had been placed in quarantine.

The search for the bodies continues, as 22 people are still missing. At least 94 people have been confirmed dead, officials said.

Florida, home to some 21.5 million people, has reported more than 2.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 38,000 deaths from the disease. More than 43% of the Sunshine State’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

The Florida Department of Health reported an increase in COVID-19 cases and a higher positive test rate over the past week on Friday. The number of new confirmed cases increased by about 8,000 from the previous week, to a total of 23,747 new cases. Meanwhile, the statewide rate of positive COVID-19 tests was 7.8%, down from 5.2% the week before.