Ever since spring break, Florida has witnessed a massive surge in variant Covid-19 infections. Data elicited from the Florida Department of Health suggests a total of 10,000 variant cases that have been noted throughout the state.
Although the FDH doesn’t reveal variant cases for public notice, the department shared the data with ABC News last month. Approximately 753 variant cases had been reported on March 14- all arising from different strains including the B.1.1.7, the P.1, and the B.1.3.5.1.
A month down, and the total number of cases had skyrocketed to 5177 with an additional two variants in the mix. Nearly two weeks later, the number had hit the ceiling as a total of 9248 infections were reported on April 27, as stated in WFTV.
The rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 infections doesn’t seem to stop. On Wednesday, health experts have noted more than 11,800 cases of variants in the state, as stated in the Sun-Sentinel. At present, Florida is the state with the highest number of variant Covid-19 infections throughout the country.
The unanticipated rise in the number of variant Covid-19 infections has resulted in a total of 243 residents getting hospitalized and 67 people losing their lives in Florida. Recent insight shows that the number of variant Covid-19 infections may be higher than proposed since 1% of all virus cases in Florida are studied to analyze their genetic coding,
Statistics around the rapid increase in variant Covid-19 infections were issued soon after the Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, announced removing all restrictions in the country, including the mask mandate. The rise in cases lies following the spring holidays that witnessed residents flocking to beaches and tourist destinations.
In addition, vaccinations in the state have started to slow down, which has ultimately increased the possibility of variants spreading at a larger scale. The B.1.1.7 variant that originated from the United Kingdom is dominant in Florida along with hints of the Brazilian and South African variants that are also starting to take shape.
Despite the rise in UK variant Covid-19 infection, overall virus cases seem to be on a steady decline. On Friday, health experts noted a 4.67% positivity rate- the second time, the number fell below 5%, as noted by state data.
Given the onset of these variants, medical personnel and other health experts are persuading the public to get vaccinated to maintain this dip in cases. Dr. Bernard Ashby, a cardiologist who was at the forefront during the pandemic has issued a general warning about the impending threat of the variants. He also acknowledged that this “little explosion” in cases comes right after DeSantis removed Covid-19 restrictions.
