President Joe Biden isn’t the only one being treated this summer for the COVID-19 virus.
That includes Miami-Dade County, which leads the state this year with 42,681 cases, according to data from FlHeathCharts; 97,882 cases were reported last year,
South Florida accounts for the largest portion of Florida’s 252,095 reported cases this year, with Broward (23,205) and Palm Beach (18,961) following.
Several cases of COVID-19 on Key Biscayne also have been noted this summer in chats among friends.
“It’s not something that has been impacting our workforce or our way of life,” said Key Biscayne Fire Rescue Chief Eric Lang, assuming the Village Manager role this past week while Steve Williamson was away.
“We’re monitoring it. We’re aware that people have been reporting (they have it), but it is not a health emergency (at this point).”
Miami-Dade County’s peak of cases occurred in 2022 when 627,760 cases were reported, according to FlHealthCharts.
The Miami Herald reported that Miami-Dade’s Jackson Health System saw an uptick in COVID hospitalizations in June after reporting an “all-time low number of inpatient cases” from April to May.
According to CDC data, the KP.3 and KP.2 strains, descendants of the highly contagious JN.1 variant and among the so-called FLiRT variants, account for more than half of infections.
Due to the expiration of the COVID-19 federal public health emergency declaration on May 11, 2023, Miami-Dade has transitioned its pandemic operations from emergency response to public health management.
Symptoms typically include a fever, cough, shortness of breath and a general malaise for a few days. The good news is that hospitalization and death rates are generally low across the country, the CDC noted.
Americans living in southwestern states are still suffering the highest rate of infections in the country.
According to an Axios report, one reason for the rise in virus levels this summer has been the heat and the increased congregation of people inside.
Another analysis points to Florida’s sewage. Wastewater surveillance notes that seven states, including Florida, have “very high” levels of the virus, which can be detected in feces.
Health officials still recommend that people who test positive for COVID-19 wear a mask, avoid contact with those with a higher risk of catching severe COVID-19, and, if needed, seek medical treatment.
