COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida hit year-ago levels: 97% unvaccinated

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried said on Sunday that in the state there are currently 10,593 people hospitalized with covid-19 and warned of the danger of exceeding hospital capacity, if steps are not taken to stop the incidence. This occurs in the face of an increase in infections with the delta variant, a situation that has been made worse by the refusal of part of a population to be vaccinated.

As of August 2020, that number of admissions to medical centers has not been reached, said Fried, who at a press conference from the state capital, Tallahassee, said. showed concern over “rapid increase” in covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in Florida and called on Floridians to “do their part” to stop it.

As an example of the scale of the pandemic rebound in the state, he said Florida, which has 6.5% of the nation’s population, accounts for 21% of new cases.

Fried, who aspires to be the Democratic nominee for governor in 2022 and faces current governor Republican Ron DeSantis, said that only “united” can it be possible to reduce certain “scandalous” figures.

He mentioned that the 21,638 new cases of covid-19 reported this Saturday and the 108 deaths from covid-19 that occurred in the seven days from July 23 to 29, set records since the start of the pandemic in Florida in March 2020.

During the period of July 23-29, a total of 110,400 new infections were recorded and the positivity rate rose to 18.1%.

According to hospital sources, 97% of people hospitalized for covid-19 in Florida are not vaccinated.

Hospitals are at the limit of their capacity and this is “dangerous,” said the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, an elective position he took up in 2019.

Fried again urged DeSantis and the Florida Department of Health to inform the public again of the evolution of the pandemic on a daily basis and not on a weekly basis as has been the case since June 4.

The commissioner herself compensates for the lack of information by disclosing the data that the Florida Department of Health transmits daily to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Although he said a “positive” trend in vaccinations is appreciated in Florida, which totaled nearly 335,000 between July 23 and July 29, while in the previous seven-day period there were was about 288,000Fried stressed that it was essential to get more people vaccinated earlier.

In this regard, he complained that in Florida, the necessary information has not been made available to people to know that vaccines are accessible and safe.

To those who haven’t been vaccinated, he said “go give yourself the injection today” and those who have family and friends who have not yet done so, he urged them to convince them to do so as soon as possible.

Wearing masks indoors, even for people who have been vaccinated, and maintaining a safe distance are also necessary measures at this time, Fried said.

Experts say that behind the increase in the incidence of covid-19 in Florida lies not only the stagnation of the vaccination rate but also the expansion of the delta variant., more contagious and dangerous, according to specialists.

The delta variant accounted for at least 83% of covid-19 cases nationwide, the CDC estimated last week.

In Florida, the percentage of people over 12 who are vaccinated is about 60%.

Governor Ron DeSantis, known for his opposition to CDC policies and epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, whom he accuses of wanting to impose a “dystopia”, has taken no action to deal with the rebound of the pandemic in the state.

He even opposed the CDC’s decision to recommend the use of the mask indoors even for those vaccinated and issued an executive order on Friday so that schools cannot force children to wear masks during their reopening in August.

According to the decree, It will be the parents who will decide if their children go to school with a mask.

“There will be no closures, there will be no school closures. There will be no restrictions or warrants in the state of Florida. Floridians have had and will continue to be free to choose what is best for them and their families, ”DeSantis said on Friday.

Since the start of the pandemic in Florida, the use of masks has never been mandatory at the state levelAlthough there were local ordinances requiring this measure, there are now laws that prevent municipalities from acting unilaterally.

(With information from EFE)

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