Florida fails to stem new wave of coronavirus

The state of Florida This Friday, she recorded 13,427 hospitalizations for coronavirus, thus again beating her daily record, despite the advance of vaccination across the United States.

The number of new cases also set a record, adding 22,783 new infections, local authorities reported on Friday. And there is growing concern about the amount of young interns.

The previous record for hospitalizations was recorded on Wednesday, when 12,408 patients were hospitalized, and the number has been increasing every day since last Sunday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The number of new infections in the past 24 hours – 22,783 new daily cases and 199 deaths, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – is also the largest trademark in this state since its creation. pandemic in 2020. Last weekend there were 21,683 new cases daily.

At the same time, a weekly report notes that this is the seventh consecutive week with a significant increase in new infections and the positivity rate.

The state health ministry report released on Friday lists 134,506 new cases from July 30 to August 5, up from 110,420 reported the week before.

Florida’s positivity rate jumped to 18.9% from 18.4% the week before.

the alarming rebound of hospitalizations and cases takes place as new data on the incidence of covid-19 in minors shows that as of Tuesday 135 infected were admitted, more than in any other state of the country except Texas, with 142 children hospitalized with coronavirus, the newspaper reported Miami Herald.

Schools and chinstrap

On the other hand, the Florida Department of Education on Friday approved a proposal for an emergency rule that would grant special school vouchers to families who wish to transfer their children from public schools if they do not feel comfortable with anti-protocols. -covid.

Rule, unanimously approved, says parents can apply for the “hope scholarship”, which allows students to be transferred from school when a school district’s’ covid-19 health protocols, including the use of a mask, pose a health or safety hazard Children’s education”.

The CDC recommended in late July that everyone, regardless of their immunization status, wear masks inside schools.

These federal prevention guidelines have been revised in response to the delta variant, highly contagious, spreading across the country, as children under 12 are still excluded from vaccination plans.

In practice, the proposed rule could divert more students to private schools or out of public school districts due to covid-19 protocols.

Florida Gov. Republican Ron DeSantis recently stepped up his refusal to adopt the CDC’s recommendations on the use of masks in schools, despite the fact that the Broward, Duval and Alachua County school systems have already decided to require students to wear masks when school begins this month.

On Friday, a group of parents of disabled children sued the state of Florida alleging that DeSantis’ ban on imposing masks in schools violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The federal lawsuit filed in the Southern District of Florida includes 27 parents and children who claim that DeSantis “has no power to threaten school districts with loss of funds if they protect the health of their students with disabilities and the right to ‘be in an integrated learning environment,’ reported digital media clickorlando.com.

DeSantis’ fight against the return of chin straps to schools has even fueled the confrontation with the White House, where President Joe Biden said this week that the governor should “step aside” and allow schools and businesses to make masks mandatory.

Source: EFE

CB