Greater Jacksonville is behind the COVID-19 outbreak in Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in Florida last week – 45,449 – is close to the increases seen during the peak last summer. This week-to-week infection growth rate is the highest the state has seen since June 2020.

Nearly one in five of the nation’s new COVID-19 infections originate in Florida, White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients said in a briefing.

The rate in Jacksonville and three neighboring counties is even higher, leading the state in new infections per capita and exceeding increases seen during Florida’s first peak last summer.

Jacksonville had 4,328 reported cases in the week ending Thursday, 19% more than its July 2020 peak and the biggest weekly increase since mid-January, as the city and country came out of the winter wave.

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As a perspective, Duval County has had more cases in the previous seven days than Orange County (Orlando), Hillsborough County (Tampa) and Palm Beach County, although they each have a population that is half the size.

According to data from the Florida Department of Health, Baker and Nassau counties recorded the largest increases per 100,000 people in the state last week (see interactive map below). Bradford and Duval counties were the only other counties in the state with infection rates above 400 per 100,000.

While Baker and Bradford counties have the lowest vaccination rates in Florida (29% and 35% respectively), the vaccination rates of 50% in Nassau County and 49% in Duval County are not far behind. of the state average of 59%.

Weekly cases per 100,000 inhabitants

Point to County for Data

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: County-by-county case and vaccination rate | Latest Updates

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Nassau County Emergency Management posted a “significant increase” on Facebook on Saturday.

“The number of cases is quickly approaching the highest numbers seen since before the vaccine was widely available in Florida,” the post read, then described all the places the Department of Health distributes free vaccines and without appointment this week.

“We are done with the virus, but the virus is not over with us,” Seminole County Medical Director Dr Todd Husty told our sister station, WKMG-TV.

Charts from the state’s health department show that while cases of COVID-19 have increased in the past four weeks, the number of vaccinations is dropping.

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The number of people getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Florida has fallen by about 80% from its peak in April.

“This is not going in the right direction. We’ve been noticing this for four weeks now, and it continues like this, ”Husty said.

We asked members of our News4Nassau Facebook group if they would resume wearing masks in public. Most of the answers were no.

One person told us that she never stopped wearing masks because of the risk.