Florida’s Rapidly Declining COVID-19 Cases
Bottom Line: Florida has once again been in the national spotlight pertaining to COVID-19 policy over the past week. This time it’s not about Governor DeSantis’ decision to keep beaches, businesses and schools open...it’s about the state’s COVID-19 vaccination guidance. Florida’s decision to recommend against the newly authorized COVID-19 boosters for those under the age of 65 has been labeled “dangerous” by the CDC. While the debate about vaccines plays out, something caught my attention with the most recent COVID-19 reporting... The rapidly declining number of COVID-19 cases in Florida.
The Florida Department of Health updates COVID data every two weeks. As of the previous update cases were still on the rise, having risen throughout the month of August. Overall cases in August were the lowest in the era of COVID yet, however we had seen a doubling of infections within Florida from mid-July to mid-August. That’s now no longer the case. The most recent update includes data from the first two weeks of September and not only have cases been declining since August, but we’ve also had the fewest new cases since July. After topping out just below 24,000 weekly cases in the last week of August, we’re down to 15,690 most recently. Not only have new COVID-19 cases declined by 35% over the past couple of weeks, to an average of only 2,241 per day in a state with over 22 million people, it’s also the fewest cases we’ve had in September yet.
Average daily cases:
- 2020: 3,344
- 2021: 10,121
- 2022: 3,577
With current cases 37% lower than a year ago at the same time, in addition to an ever more benign strain of the virus, the news is mostly good in Florida. At the same time the CDC’s weekly flu map shows transmission rates as low in our state as well. The start of flu/COVID season is the most benign since prior to the pandemic. As people are weighing the differing state vs. federal guidance on vaccines, this information is perhaps relevant within that consideration.