Florida COVID cases hit record high as deaths also rise

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Coronavirus cases in Florida remain at record highs, with more than 11,000 new cases reported on Monday, as well as 163 deaths as the state’s immunization program rollout continues.

The Florida Department of Health has reported 11,576 new cases, with the state’s seven-day average being around 15,000 per day. This is about 40% higher than the previous high of 11,000 reached in July. There were 7,650 people hospitalized in Florida with COVID-19 on Monday morning, a jump of about 150 from Sunday.

The state reported about 140 coronavirus deaths per day over the past week – the weekly average peaked at 183 per day in August, but had fallen to 40 in November before the latest increase began. Increases in the death rate usually follow jumps of about a month.

By comparison, heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in the state, each kill an average of about 125 Floridians per day.

The jumps in cases and deaths come as the state tries to roll out its immunization program – Gov. Ron DeSantis has focused on immunizing those 65 and older, frontline medical workers and patients at nursing homes.

“The point is, this virus has been deadlier for the elderly. We need to stand alongside our seniors. We understand the data, we understand where the risk is. We’re going to focus on the elderly first, ”DeSantis said over the weekend as he visited a vaccination clinic at an elderly center in Panhandle.

Johns Hopkins University researcher, surgeon and professor Dr. Martin Makary praised DeSantis for prioritizing the elderly in Florida, saying giving the vaccine to older residents first is a simpler and easier system. to follow than using other formulas combining various risk factors. He said Florida’s ranking system should be a model for other states.

“If we used a simple age-based allocation system that also tried to meet the goals of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, but moved faster, we would save more lives,” he said. -he declares. “This is what we are seeing in Europe. This is what we see in Florida. “

But there have been problems getting the vaccine to the elderly. Statewide, online and telephone systems to register for immunizations have collapsed under pressure from thousands of people trying to access the systems at once. U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz said DeSantis and her administration needed to better plan for the deployment, which began last month after months of anticipation.

“How are we going to instill confidence in the people who are getting the vaccine if you are not even able to clearly coordinate and explain to them how they can get it?” the Broward County Democrat told the Miami Herald.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, trouble breathing, sore throat, muscle pain, and loss of taste or smell. Most people only develop mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more serious symptoms, including pneumonia.