Florida COVID cases, hospitalizations remain at ‘high’ risk level

• COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations hit a plateau in Florida last week. The state reported 10,542 daily cases during the seven-day period from June 18-24. Florida hospitals reported 3,322 confirmed COVID-19 patients as of Friday. Both numbers are essentially unchanged from the week before. Infections and hospitalizations still are high enough to classify 93% of Floridians as living in areas of high-risk, according to federal data released Thursday.
• This past week Florida parents could finally vaccinate children as young as 6 months — if they could find an appointment. Florida was the only state in the nation not to preorder children’s doses, affecting medical facilities’ supplies. That left pediatricians and children’s hospitals scrambling to find an alternative source, and parents of children under 18 months are reliant on those facilities to get their children vaccinated. Older children can rely on retail pharmacies. But Publix, once the single largest distributor of COVID-19 vaccines in Florida, decided not to offer shots for children under 5 “at this time.” The company did not offer an explanation for the decision.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated long-standing health inequities. In Florida, Black and low-income residents were more likely to get sick and less likely to be vaccinated than their white, well-off peers. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that access to COVID-19 antiviral medication like Paxlovid and Lagevrio was no different. Zip codes that had higher levels of poverty, disability or a higher share of racial and ethnic minorities received less than half as many doses of COVID-19 antivirals than wealthier zip codes, adjusted for population. The findings “highlight an ongoing need to identify and eliminate barriers to oral antiviral access,” the report said, “particularly within socially and economically disadvantaged communities.”

Overall numbers

73,796: Number of cases reported in Florida over the most recent seven-day period from June 18-24.

10,542: Average cases a day during that time period last week, essentially even with the week before.

6,419,490: Total number of cases recorded in Florida.

402: Number of deaths reported in the past week.

75,491: Total pandemic deaths in Florida.

Vaccinations

28,080: Vaccinations (first or second doses) administered in the past week, down 20% compared to the previous week.

80%: Total Florida population that is at least partially vaccinated.

67%: Total Florida population that is fully vaccinated.

78%: Total U.S. population that is at least partially vaccinated.

67%: Total U.S. population that is fully vaccinated.

20,484: Booster doses administered in Florida in the last week, down 22% compared to the prior week.

27%: Total Florida population that is boosted.

31%: Total U.S. population that is boosted.

Positivity rates

21.6%: Florida, compared to 20.2% the previous week.

24.3%: Citrus

22.5%: Hernando

22.5%: Manatee

20.5%: Pasco

20.4%: Polk

20.2%: Pinellas

20.1%: Hillsborough

Hospitalizations

3,322: Florida hospitalizations, a 3% increase compared to the prior week.

949: Tampa Bay admissions, essentially unchanged from the week before.

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Local cases

14, 319: Cases in Tampa Bay.

1,163,301: Total cases in Tampa Bay to date.

62: Deaths in Tampa Bay.

15,791: Total deaths in Tampa Bay.

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How to get tested

Florida: The Department of Health has a list of test sites.

The nation: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can help you find a testing site.

• • •

How to get vaccinated

The COVID-19 vaccine is being administered at clinics, doctors’ offices, public health offices and retail pharmacies. Here’s how to find a site near you:

Find a site: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination sites in your ZIP code.

More help: Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline.

Phone: 800-232-0233. Help is available in English, Spanish and other languages.

TTY: 888-720-7489

Disability Information and Access Line: Call 888-677-1199 or email DIAL@n4a.org.

• • •

More coronavirus coverage

SYMPTOMS: Think you might have COVID-19? Here’s a guide to symptoms and treatments.

CHILDREN: Babies and toddlers can now get vaccinated. Here are the answers to your questions.

WARNING: How the CDC’s COVID-19 warning system fails Tampa Bay and Florida.

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