Cases in Florida were record high, while deaths also rise

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Florida coronavirus cases remain at an all-time high as more than 11,000 new cases are reported Monday, along with 163 deaths as the state’s vaccination program continues.

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

The state reported about 140 coronavirus deaths a day in the past week – the weekly average peaked at 183 a day in August, but dropped to 40 in November before the latest rise began. Increases in mortality usually follow jumps in cases by about a month.

By comparison, heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in the state, kill an average of about 125 Florida residents a day.

The jump in cases and deaths comes as the state tries to implement its vaccination program. Government Ron DeSantis has stressed the immunization of 65-year-old and older medical workers and patients in the nursing home.

‘The fact is that this virus was more deadly to people who have elderly people. We need to stand by our elderly. We understand the data, we understand where the risk is. We will only focus on seniors, ”DeSantis said at the weekend when he visited a vaccination clinic in a Panhandle center.

Dr. Martin Makary, a researcher, surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins University, praised DeSantis for putting Florida seniors first, and said giving the vaccine to older residents first is a simple system that is easier to use. to follow than to use other formulas that combine different risk factors. He said Florida’s prioritization system should be a model for other states.

“If we use a simple age-based allocation system that also tries to achieve the goals of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) but moves faster, we will save more lives,” he said. “This is what we see in Europe. This is what we see in Florida. ”

But there were problems getting the vaccine for the elderly. Around the state, online and telephone systems to sign up for the vaccine crashed under pressure from thousands who immediately tried to gain access to the systems. American rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said DeSantis and its administration need to plan better for implementation, which began last month after months of anticipation.

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

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, breathing problems, sore throat, muscle aches and loss of taste or smell. Most people develop only mild symptoms. However, some people, usually people with other medical complications, develop worse symptoms, including pneumonia.