Florida Covid Statistics: What Is Really Happening, May 5, 2022

Anyone 50+ is eligible for a second Covid booster shot. With half of Florida counties with high transmission, I strongly recommend getting one now, especially if you have not had omicron. Medicare will cover the cost for those with that insurance.

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

I have also published an omicron variant post, archived delta variant information, and archived general Covid-19 information.

This shows the level of community transmission from two weeks earlier, when the Florida Department of Health issued its last report:

April 22, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

On May 5^th, the CDC deemed much of Florida as either a sustained hotspot, a newer hotspot, or an emerging hotspot:

CDC COVID-19 Community Profile Report

We have tended to follow the UK’s trends by about three weeks. In England during March 19–26, 1 in 13 residents had Covid.

Anecdotally, the omicron BA.2 subvariant appears to be infecting UK residents who were not exposed to the earlier omicron variants.

UK Office for National Statistics: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK: 1 April 2022

New evidence from South Africa indicates that people who were previously infected with omicron BA.1 are susceptible to reinfection from the new subvariants omicron BA.4 and omicron BA.5. Experts do not believe they are in the US yet.

People who were vaccinated were 5 times less likely to experience reinfection than unvaccinated individuals.

MedR_xiv: Omicron Sub-Lineages BA.4/BA.5 Escape BA.1 Infection-Elicited Neutralizing Immunity

Until June 2021, Florida reported Covid statistics every day with an online database.

Weeks before the delta variant took hold in the state with devastating effects, the Department of Health switched to a weekly pdf while withholding data previously available to the public.

Now Florida is halving the frequency of reports to the public to every two weeks. The state is directing people to the CDC, where there is an information lag.

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Limits COVID Data to Every 2 Weeks, State Says Via Meme: Department of Health Officials Announced the Change Via Twitter, Using Vince McMahon and Cat Memes

Palm Beach Post: Florida to Update COVID-19 Data Less Frequently than All Other States

Florida Covid-19 Response

I heartily disagree with this official announcement made from the Florida Department of Health retweeting their spokesman’s personal Twitter account on March 11^th. We need more information, not less.

Unfortunately, the tactic works: even Floridians tend to express shock when I tell them about the most recent statistics:

Florida Covid-19 Response

Dr. Jason Salemi from the University of South Florida was compiling some data from the CDC during weeks when the state did not issue an official report.

Even before his hard drive crashed after April 24^th, he did not have direct access to the Florida data. His site is still not working:

Salemi USF: COVID-19 in Florida

During the omicron wave, Florida did not increase the frequency of reporting, leaving many residents unaware of the amount of viral transmission occurring until Christmas Eve.

In the two weeks before December 24^th, the number of confirmed Covid cases increased 850%:

Public health experts view a positivity rate of 5% or below sufficient to capture all Covid cases. During that same period ending on December 23^rd, the positivity rate rose from 2.6% to 13.9%. So, the actual number of cases was likely 180% higher than what the state reported:

Jan 6, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

JHU: COVID-19 Testing: Understanding the “Percent Positive”

Beginning in June 2021, Florida removed all archived Covid data from their web site.

Until March 17^th, they replaced the statistics from the previous week with a new report. Now that occurs every two weeks.

That makes it much more difficult—even for those who have saved the old data—to see the actual numbers of cases and deaths. No hospitalization information is included.

On the Florida Department of Health web site, you can locate influenza records from 2001 but not Covid data from April 15–22, 2022.

T B T : W h y D o e s n ‘t F l o r i d a T r u s t I t s R e s i d e n t s with Basic COVID Information?

Florida Covid-19 Response

Florida Influenza Surveillance Reports 2001–2022

These bullet points are a summary of the data in the rest of this post:

FL Covid Deaths:

As of May 5, 2022, FL has had 74,060 Covid deaths among permanent residents.
On June 4, 2021, the state removed 744 deaths among non-permanent residents and stopped reporting them.
Weekly deaths among permanent residents decreased by 5% to 112.
The state is claiming only 12% of them as “New Deaths” (13)
During June 2021–April 2022, Florida has reported only 7,183 of the 38,834 Covid deaths among permanent residents as “New Deaths” (18%).
658 permanent Florida residents died from Covid in April 2022.
The CDC appears to be reporting new deaths like Florida does (13). All county information was suppressed, except for Broward (11).
79% of deaths in Florida occurred among senior citizens during April 22–May 5, 2022.
FL has 9.1% of US deaths when vaccinations were available to all over 15, for 6.6% of the US population.
Since July 1, 2021, FL has the third worst death rate in the US.
Over half of Florida’s Covid deaths have occurred since everyone over 15 became eligible for vaccination.
CA has 70% more people than Florida, yet almost the same number of excess deaths.
Among the 6 largest states, the Florida death rate is below only Pennsylvania’s.
FL does not report Covid deaths stratified by vaccination status.

.FL Covid Vaccinations:

As of May 5^th, Florida claimed a 74% vaccination rate. This includes anyone with at least one shot, over 600,000 snowbirds, and “vaccine tourists.” It excludes children under 5.
61% of people in Florida had at least completed a vaccine series by May 5^th.
Long Covid occurs significantly less often in vaccinated people. Vaccination after infection can also reduce or eliminate Long Covid symptoms.
At most, 24% had booster shots by May 5^th, an important precaution against illness and transmission of the omicron variant.
During March 12–19, 2022, boosters prevented 55% of omicron hospitalizations among people aged 18–49; 72% for ages 50–64; and 87% for senior citizens.
Compared to people with boosters during February 19–26, 2022, unvaccinated people aged 18–49 were 22 times more likely to die; it was 18 times for ages 50–64; and 16 times for senior citizens.
Mixing vaccine types will give you the best protection: they stimulate different parts of your immune system. If you had 2 or 3 Moderna, I recommend getting a Pfizer and vice versa.
As of 4-6-22, Medicare will cover 100% of the cost of a second booster shot.
The state does not report cases or deaths by vaccination status.
On 1-14-22, the governor refused to enforce the federal mandate for healthcare workers upheld by the Supreme Court a day earlier.
On 1-19-22, the state put Orange County’s epidemiologist on leave for chiding his employees’ 40% vaccination rate.
On 1-15-22 the governor said many nurses avoid vaccination due to “trying to have families.” Numerous studies confirm vaccination does not cause infertility.
On 3-7-22, a discussion panel moderated by Governor DeSantis recommended against Covid vaccination for healthy children due to the risk of adolescent males developing myocarditis. Florida is the only state to make such a declaration.
The risk of cardiac inflammation due to Covid is 540% higher for boys aged 5–11. No girls developed symptoms after vaccination.
Among 400 children hospitalized during the omicron wave, 1 in 3 had no preexisting conditions, 1 in 5 required care in the ICU, and 9 in 10 were unvaccinated.
During March 12–19, 2022, unvaccinated children aged 5–11, were 133% more likely to need hospital admission than their vaccinated peers. Those aged 12–17, were 20% less likely.
The FL Dept of Heath website claims the FDA recommends vaccination for those 12+, not 5+.
As of 4-21-22, only 23% of those aged 5–11 had at least one shot; 60% of adolescents did.

.Florida Covid Cases:

With the rise in at-home testing since the omicron wave began, it is important to know that official confirmed cases are likely to be significantly undercounted.
The state reported 32,981 new confirmed cases among permanent Florida residents. This is a 24% increase since last week.
There have been 5,958,618 confirmed Covid cases in Florida among permanent residents.
On June 4, 2021, the state removed all data from anyone who is not a permanent resident and stopped reporting it. This deleted 43,535 cases.
The first omicron wave began in Miami-Dade County, with the rest of the state lagging a few weeks behind. There were 8,918 cases there this week.
The most recent CDC data shows over half of Florida counties have high transmission.
Hillsborough County remains a Hotspot.
4,996 Florida residents under the age of twenty tested positive, an increase of 20% from a week before (4,143).
Reported cases in the Hillsborough County School District fell 18%, from 146 to 120. Our local elementary school had three this week.
Florida law prohibits requiring masks in non-medical settings.
Parents decide about quarantining after a close contact at school.
On 1-31-22, FL shifted its focus to “high congregate settings,” not schools and day cares.
During the week leading up to that announcement 38,629 school-aged children in Florida had tested positive.
On 1-31-22, FL students absent due to Covid exposure are truant per Orange County.

Florida Covid Testing and Prevention:

Due to at-home testing, the number of cases is likely to be under-reported.
On 4-9-22, Florida reported the fewest tests since June 2020. Testing remains low.
The CDC advises notifying your doctor of positive at-home tests.
Public health officials recommend maintaining a positivity rate <5% for 2 weeks before reopening.
Florida’s report shows a 9.0% positivity rate.
CDC data using information from the state showed the positivity rate climbed steadily from 12.19% on April 19^th to 13.32% on May 5^th. That means there were close to 85,000 cases.
2/3 of Florida counties are above the 5% threshold; 20 are above 10%.
County positivity rates range from 0–22.9%, with Broward the highest.
On 1-4-22, FL’s Surgeon General decried “testing psychology” to identify all cases.
On 1-6-22, FL’s Agriculture Secretary revealed 1,000,000 expired antigen tests.
On 1-8-22, FL’s web site told those not at high risk of severe cases to avoid testing.
On 1-9-22, the governor announced 1,000,000 tests for long-term care and nursing homes.
On 2-7-22, the state reprimanded two companies which failed to report 230,000 test results from December and January until that week.
On 3-2-22 Governor DeSantis chided a group of teens in a county with a high alert level and told them to remove their face masks. He then used that episode to raise campaign funds. Under those conditions, the CDC recommends that everyone wear masks indoors.
On 3-31-22, a UF faculty committee revealed discrepancies in the surgeon general’s hiring as a tenured professor.

Florida Covid Treatment:

Omicron mutations render ineffective almost all monoclonal antibodies previously in use.
100% of FL cases are due to that viral strain.
For the week ending January 8^th, 97% of sequenced cases in the region which includes Florida were omicron.
Sotrovimab worked against the omicron BA.1 variant at a dosage 3x more than for delta. It is 27 times less effective for omicron BA.2.
During the first week of January, Florida used 140 of its 4,400 Sotrovimab doses and 2,700 of Regeneron.
On 1-18-22, FL opened more infusion centers to distribute 15,000 doses of Regeneron.
The FDA revised its EUA for Regeneron on 1-24-22, prohibiting its use against omicron.
DeSantis objected to no shipments; all FL antibody infusion centers closed on 1-25-22.
During April 3–9, 2022, the percentage of BA.2 increased from 80% to 91% in the region which includes Florida (71.7% BA.2 and 19.3% of the newer BA.2.12.1).
On 4-5-22, the FDA revoked the Emergency Use Authorization for Sotrovimab nationwide due to the predominance of BA.2 in every state.
On 4-30-22, the percentage of BA.2 subvariants in the region which includes Florida rose to 98%, with BA.2.12.1 climbing rapidly to 36%.
A monoclonal antibody called bebtelovimab is effective against omicron BA.1, BA.2 and BA.2.12.1. It began shipping to Florida during February 14–20.
Here is the most recent weekly federal allocation of 11,097 Covid-specific treatments to Florida: 1,925 post-exposure Bebtelovimab (for all omicron types); 6,580 of the oral Paxlovid; 2,592 of the less-effective oral Molnupiravir.
In total, there are enough highly effective treatments for 8,505 Covid patients being delivered to the state.
On 1-8-21, the FDA issued an Evusheld EUA for those with severe immunosuppression.
On 2-25-22, the dosage doubled due to BA.2. Prior recipients need an additional shot.
Evusheld’s efficacy against omicron BA.2.12.1 remains unknown.
People with certain cancers or organ transplants receive the highest priority.
DeSantis announced it on 12-17-21, when Covid was raging through Miami-Dade County.
First shipments only to a small private fee-based clinic in Broward County on 12-24-21.
People flew from out of state to receive it at the iCare Clinic.
The large transplant hospital in Miami was to receive it four weeks later.
During Jan 24–30, 2022 the federal government sent 32,000 outpatient treatments.
On 5-5-22, Florida received a monthly allocation of 12,312 doses of pre-exposure Evusheld for severely immunocompromised people.

Florida Covid Hospitalizations:

You won’t find any hospitalization info on Florida’s Weekly Reports since 6-24-21.
Florida must relay all hospitalization data to the US Dept of Health and Human Services.
For August 1, 2020–May 5, 2022, Florida has had 415,313 new hospital admissions for Covid patients. This represents 8.9% of all Covid admissions for 6.6% of the US population.
During April 29–May 5, 2022, there was an average of 193 admissions per day, a total of 1,356. That was an increase of 27% from the previous week (1,066; 151/day).
I cannot report the state’s adult hospitalization rank due to Dr. Salemi’s hard drive crashing.
Miami had 227 new hospital admissions (27% rise); Hillsborough had 100 (30% increase).
Largest increases were in northern Florida counties.
On May 5^th, there were 0.90 new admissions/100,000 Floridians; 0.70 the week before.
Hospitalizations for adult age groups except for 60–69 rose significantly. For those with increases, the amount of change ranged from 12% (ages 40–49) to 42% (18–29 and 50–59).
For that same period, pediatric admissions rose by 60%.
Compared to delta, omicron admissions are higher for younger than 30 and older than 69.
On 5-6-22, 76% of hospital beds in Florida were full; 2% used by Covid patients.
Covid patients accounted for 1,303 of them, 11% more patients than a week earlier.
2% of ICU beds were used by 103 Covid patients, 11% more than the previous week.
Overall, 73% of ICU beds are occupied in the state, the same as a week earlier.
1/3 are admitted for Covid diagnosis; 1/3 for Covid worsening an underlying condition; and one-third for reasons unrelated to their viral infection.

Until January 1, 2022, Florida was the only state in the US which was releasing statistics on a weekly basis. Several states switched to that schedule when Florida moved to reporting every two weeks.

Information available in Florida’s reports is far more limited than what the state provided before June 2021.

On October 18^th, I followed the Dept of Health’s recommendation to contact their COVID Data Analytics section, then went outside. When I returned, I had to do a major recovery process following an unauthorized attempt to access my hard drive.

I still have not received a response from the FL COVID Data Analytics group. Even the main site for the Florida Dept of Health appears on an unsecure connection: www.floridahealth.gov.

On March 11^th, my computer was able to download the official Florida Covid report for the first time since October 2021.

After being able to directly access two successive reports from the state, my computer began again refusing to do so with the April 8, 2022, file citing a security risk. However, as of April 21, 2022, I can open the reports.

Florida Covid Statistics: What is Really Happening?

Florida Covid-19 Response

Faculty at the University of Florida charge that they have felt external pressure from the highest levels of state government to delete data related to their Covid research.

They also encountered “barriers to accessing and analyzing” data and “barriers to publication of scientific research which inhibited the ability of faculty to contribute scientific findings during a world-wide pandemic.”

On January 21, 2022, a federal judge sided with the plaintiffs in a 74-page ruling. He asserted the University of Florida was “willing to suffer threats to its accreditation, congressional inquiries, unrelenting bad press, an all-but-certain hit to its rankings, and the substantial monetary cost of hiring an experienced D.C. firm to defend its policy. The only thing UF will not do, it seems, is amend its policy to make clear that it will never consider viewpoint in denying a request to testify.” As in The Emperor’s New Clothes, the emperor’s lords, “fearing the loss of their jobs and the Emperor’s good grace, enabled the charade by praising the Emperor’s fine suit.”

The Hill: University of Florida Initiates Investigation into Alleged Destruction of COVID-19 Research Data

Tampa Bay Times: Federal Judge Orders Injunction to UF’s Conflict of Interest Policy

On March 31, 2022, a University of Florida faculty committee released a report charging that the university violated its own practices when hiring Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general to a tenured position.

Required faculty input regarding his application was due on September 17, 2021. However, Dr. Ladapo was informed he had the appointment on September 16^th.

After receiving the letter with an October 1,2021 start date, Dr. Ladapo changed it to September 20^th, just prior to the news conference where the governor announced him as our new surgeon general:

In response to a reporter’s questions, Jeremy Redfern, the Florida Department of Health spokesman, sent an email stating, “The time of those at the University of Florida writing 100-page reports regarding hiring practices would be better spent working on important issues like research and curing cancer.”

Tampa Bay Times: Joseph Ladapo Hiring Violated UF Procedures, Faculty Report Says: Some Faculty Felt Ladapo, Florida’s Surgeon General, Was the Subject of “Preferential Treatment on the Basis of His Political Opinions”

This data from April 29–May 5, 2022, is the only Covid report available from the Florida Department of Health (DoH).

Whenever the state adds a new report, it removes the previous one:

New cases = 32,981; Estimated cumulative cases = 5,958,618
Positivity rate = 9.0%
New deaths = 13; Cumulative deaths = 74,060
Vaccination rate = 74%
Fully vaccinated people minus those with booster shots = 8,122,312
Total booster doses: 5,217,260

Florida Covid-19 Response

Here is some of the data from April 22–28, 2022 which the state submitted to the CDC.

Cumulative numbers are derived from adding the new CDC information to the April 21^st report.

The corrected vaccination rate is from my analysis of the state’s April 21^st data:

New cases = 26,574; Cumulative cases = 5,925,762
Positivity rate = 10.1%
New deaths = 17; Cumulative deaths = 73,948
Corrected vaccination rate = 61% (as of 4-21-22)
Fully vaccinated people minus those with booster shots = 8,163,111 (as of 4-21-22)
Total booster doses: 5,182,306 (as of 4-21-22)

CDC: Integrated County View Florida

CDC COVID-19 Community Profile Report

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

On February 25, 2022, the CDC updated their masking guidelines based heavily upon Covid hospital admissions and utilization and, to a lesser extent, upon the number of new cases in a county.

It does not reflect the level of transmission.

They range from low (green) through medium (yellow) to high risk (orange). Rural areas without hospital services may look better than they are.

You can click on the hyperlink below this for more specific information and the interactive map.

This is the situation as of May 7, 2022. Four Florida counties are at the medium level. Last week, only Miami-Dade County was:

CDC: COVID-19 Community Levels

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

In areas of high alert, the CDC advises everyone to wear a high-quality tight-fitting mask indoors.

Please note that this masking guideline does not apply to severely immunocompromised people who do not develop immunity from vaccination.

One researcher has created a helpful calculator for those in that category. It assumes that everyone eligible receives the pre-exposure treatment called Evusheld. He also concluded the CDC’s map is accurate for those with healthy immune systems.

MedPage: The Case Number That Will Make the Unsafe Safe, Revealed—CDC’s New Mask guidelines Don’t Keep the Immunocompromised Safe, Says Jeremy Faust, MD

In contrast, here is the map for the same date based upon the level of Community Transmission:

CDC: Community Transmission in US

On March 2, 2022, Governor DeSantis visited Hillsborough County. As he approached a group of masked high school students, he said, “You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this COVID theater. So, if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

He then used that outburst to raise campaign funds.

WFLA: ‘This Is Ridiculous’: DeSantis Scolds Students for Wearing Face Masks During USF Visit

The Hill: DeSantis Fundraises off Video of Him Chiding Students for Wearing Masks

Hillsborough County had a high alert level for Covid before and after that date. It corresponds to the CDC map above which currently shows almost the entire state at a low level of risk for overwhelming the healthcare system:

Feb 25, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

March 3, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Florida Covid Vaccinations:

On March 25, 2022, USA Today reported that over 600,000 snowbirds have been included in Florida’s official vaccination tally. That happened in over 100 zip codes.

Many “vaccine tourists” were in Miami-Dade County. For cases and deaths in the state, Florida counts only permanent residents.

USA Today: Florida Overcounts Vaccinations by 600,000 People. Snowbirds Responsible, Analysis Shows

The vaccination rate reported by the state remained at 74%. This figure represents only those eligible for vaccination and includes partially vaccinated people.

Florida’s population is currently 21,975,117, so 61% have at least completed a vaccination series.

People who receive a booster shot are removed from the Series Completed Category and added to the Additional or Booster Dose Category.

At most, 24% of permanent Florida residents have received a booster shot. We cannot tell how many of the additional doses went to people who had already been boosted:

Florida Covid-19 Response

A review of fifteen studies concerning vaccination and the conglomeration of symptoms known as “long Covid” found a significantly reduced rate in those who were vaccinated before getting infected.

Post-viral vaccination reduced or eliminated symptoms in up to 30% of long Covid sufferers. However, symptoms did worsen on occasion after with vaccination.

UK Health Security: The Effectiveness of Vaccination Against Long Covid

Receiving a booster shot is considered extremely important for providing protection against the omicron variant and for decreasing viral transmission.

Since I created this chart, researchers have discovered that booster efficacy begins to wane at ten weeks:

Efficacy at Peak of Protection: Booster Efficacy Wanes 15% to 20% After Ten Weeks

Covid-19: The Omicron Variant

UK Government: Monitoring Reports of the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination: Data on the Real-World Efficacy of the COVID-19 Vaccines

Mixing vaccine types will give you the best protection because they stimulate different parts of your immune system. If you had 2 or 3 Moderna, I recommend getting a Pfizer and vice versa.

Ars Technica: Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Aren’t the Same; Study Finds Antibody Differences: The Findings Add Further Weight to the Idea of Mix-and-Match Boosting

At the end of March, the CDC approved a second booster shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine for all adults aged 50+. There are no safety issues associated with the additional shot.

As of April 6, 2022, people on Medicare can receive a second booster shot at no cost.

According to the CDC director, “If you’ve had omicron disease in the last two or three months, that really did boost your immune system quite well,” Walensky said, adding that these individuals could wait another two to four months before their second booster.

Center for Medicare: Eligible Individuals Can Receive Second COVID-19 Booster Shot at No Cost

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

NBC News: CDC Director Clears Up Confusion on 2^nd COVID Boosters

New research involving breakthrough omicron infections indicates the number of viral particles is significantly lower in people who have had booster shots. People with two doses carried the same amount of virus as unvaccinated people.

Nature: Infectious Viral Load in Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Individuals Infected with Ancestral, Delta or Omicron SARS-CoV-2

For all adults in the US, the CDC has added people who received booster shots as a separate category.

Among those 18–49 years old during March 13–19, 2022, unvaccinated people were hospitalized at a rate of 3.1/100,000.

A primary vaccine course prevented 53% of expected hospitalizations (0.9/100,000).

Adults under the age of 50 with at least moderate immunocompromisation are eligible for a second booster shot. That may be why boosted individuals were hospitalized 55% more often than those with only a primary series (1.4/100,000).

Compared to unvaccinated people, those with at least one booster were 55% less likely to require hospital care:

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

Unvaccinated people aged 50–64 were hospitalized at a rate of 7.5/100,000. Those who finished a vaccine series had 64% fewer hospitalizations than expected (2.7/100,000).

A booster dose prevented 72% of hospitalizations (2.1/100,000). This is a significant drop in efficacy from January, when a booster prevented 92% of hospitalizations in that demographic group:

Results for that same week for senior citizens showed that unvaccinated individuals required hospital care at a rate of 37.5/100,000.

Completing a vaccine series reduced the likelihood of needing hospitalization by 71% (10.7/100,000).

Boosters prevented 87% of hospitalizations which would have occurred without vaccination (4.6/100,000). In January, boosters prevented 94%:

CDC: Rates of Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations by Vaccination Status

The risk of death among unvaccinated people and those with a primary series compared to boosted individuals during the week of February 26, 2022, is as follows:

	Relative Risk of Death by Vaccination Status
Age	Boosted	Primary Series	Unvaccinated
12–17	1	1	1
18–49	1	2x	22x
50–64	1	3x	18x
65+	1	2x	16x

CDC: Rates of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Vaccination Status

January 14, 2022, Governor DeSantis’s office announced it would not enforce the federal government’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

The US Supreme Court upheld the requirement for all healthcare facilities which receive federal funds on the 13^th.

On January 19^th, the Florida Department of Health placed the epidemiologist who led Orange County’s pandemic response on administrative leave.

The state considered charging him with a criminal offense for sending an email chiding the county’s public health employees for their 40% vaccination rate. That suspension ended on March 22, 2022.

A day later, Governor DeSantis promoted a conspiracy theory by asserting that many nurses are avoiding vaccination because “they’re trying to have families.”

Numerous studies confirm that vaccination does not cause infertility; in fact, getting Covid can reduce male fertility.

Becker’s Hospital Review: DeSantis Casts aside CMS Vaccine Rule for Hospitals

B B C : T o p Florida Health Official on Leave over Support for Vaccination

Physicians Society Central FL: Orange’s State Health officer Raul Pino Reinstated After Leave over Vaccine E-mail

Twitter: DeSantis Pushes Infertility Conspiracy

Covid-19: The Omicron Variant

On March 7, 2022, a discussion panel moderated by Governor DeSantis recommended against Covid vaccination for healthy children due to the risk of adolescent males developing myocarditis.

The state surgeon general noted that Florida is the only state to make such a declaration.

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Says Healthy Kids Shouldn’t Get COVID Vaccine, Contradicting CDC

At least four researchers cited by the state disagreed with how Florida officials used their work.

A pediatrics professor from Vanderbilt University Medical Center who co-authored one of the papers said, “I think there is cherry-picking of sentences to support what (the state) wanted. You don’t just pick one sentence from one paper that agrees with what you think you want to say. That’s not what a health department is supposed to do.”

Each of the studies Florida officials cited recommended Covid vaccination for children as safe and effective.

Florida health officials omitted that information in their updated guidelines. The researchers asserted that vaccination remains the best way to protect children from severe Covid.

Tampa Bay Times: COVID Researchers: Florida “Cherry-Picked” Our Work in Kid Vaccine Recommendation

In contrast to the myocarditis arising from vaccination, the inflammation resulting from SARS-CoV-2 can cause life-threatening heart conditions in children, adolescents, and adults.

A study of 77,000 children found that 5–11-year-old boys were 540% more likely to develop heart inflammation after a Covid infection than after vaccination.

No girls of that age who were vaccinated developed myocarditis or pericarditis:

Circulation: Myocarditis with COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines

MMWR: Cardiac Complications After SARS-CoV-2 Infection and mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination—PCORnet, United States, January 2021–January 2022

Since the pandemic began, 13,000 Florida minors had required hospitalization for Covid in Florida alone as of March 17, 2022.

Forty-two had died, and many of the survivors have subsequently developed serious health conditions, like diabetes.

While children are at lower risk than adults, throughout the US, Covid is one of the top ten causes of death in those aged 5–11:

Tampa Bay Times: The CDC Says Kids Should Get the COVID Vaccine—Despite Florida

Peterson-KFF: COVID-19 Leading Cause of Death Ranking

Throughout the US, children are three times as likely to have had severe disease from omicron than from previous variants.

JAMA: Acute Upper Airway Disease in Children with the Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant of SARS-CoV-2—A Report form the US National COVID Cohort Collaborative

MMWR: Hospitalizations of Children Aged 5–11 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19—COVID-NET, 14 States, March 2020–February 2022

At the height of the first omicron wave, unvaccinated children aged 5–11 in the US were hospitalized at three times the rate of their vaccinated peers.

After narrowing in early February, during March 12–19, Covid hospitalizations occurred in unvaccinated children 133% more often than for their vaccinated peers (0.7/100,000 vs. 0.3/100,000):

The data for adolescents reveals why booster doses are recommended for that age group.

On January first, unvaccinated teens aged 12–17 were four times as likely to need hospital care than those who had been vaccinated.

During March 12–19, 2022, vaccinated teens were 20% more likely to need hospitalization than unvaccinated peers (0.5/100,000 vs 0,4/100,000). However, the overall trend favors vaccination:

CDC: Rates of Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations by Vaccination Status

Compare the FDA’s announcement for eligibility in children to what Florida says it is:

FDA: FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children 5 through 11 Years of Age

Florida Covid Response: Who Is Eligible for a Covid-19 Vaccine

Covid Deaths in Florida:

During June 2021–April 2022, Florida has reported only 7,183 of the 38,834 Covid deaths among permanent residents as “New Deaths” (18%):

Florida Covid Statistics: What is Really Happening?

Despite making national news for the state government’s attempt to cover up the number of deaths, nothing has changed in the Florida Department of Health’s methodology.

The Hill: Florida Reported ‘Artificial Decline’ in COVID-19 Deaths as Cases Were Surging

On June 4^th, the state removed all data from anyone who has not established permanent residency and stopped reporting information from visitors, seasonal residents, and migrant workers. This deleted 744 deaths.

I can no longer access this file, as my browser deems it a security risk:

FL Covid-19 Cases and Monitoring as of June 3, 2021

When the state receives a report of a death from an earlier week, that information is added to “Cumulative Deaths” without being noted in “Previous Week Deaths.”

It usually takes more than one week for death reports to get sent to the state.

Florida Politics: Florida Reports 1000+ Covid-19 Deaths in Past Week

Using the May 5^th cumulative data from the state, which showed 74,060 Florida deaths, I determined there were 112 Covid deaths reported in Florida during April 29–May 5, 2022.

This represents a decrease of 5% from the previous week (118). Only 13 of them were counted as new deaths in the state’s report to the CDC (12%):

Florida Covid-19 Response

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

In what appears to be a break from their previous reporting, the CDC is using Florida’s definition of a new death.

Prior to this, clicking on individual counties could reveal a higher number than the state total:

CDC: Integrated County View Florida

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Broward County alone reported 11 deaths. Other counties have suppressed information because they reported fewer than 10 new deaths:

CDC: Florida Reported Deaths by County

According to CDC data, there had been 74,085 Covid deaths in Florida by May 5, 2022.

Florida residents at least sixteen years old became eligible for vaccination on April 1, 2021.

SARS-CoV-2 infections have killed 39,904 permanent residents of the state since that date. Over half the Covid deaths in Florida have occurred since April 1, 2021.

Despite having only 6.6% of the US population, this represents 9.1% of all American Covid-19 deaths since everyone at least 16 years old qualified for vaccination:

Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State

Florida’s Covid death rate ranks third in the US since the delta wave began on July 1, 2021. You can click on the web site map to see the information for each state:

Datawrapper: Covid Death Rates Since Vaccines

Nationwide, 7.6% of senior citizens who have tested positive have died.

Since the pandemic began, 1.2% of all permanent Florida residents at least 65 years old have died due to Covid-19 (1,217/100,000). That is 7.2% of people in that age group who tested positive.

It was 9.0% on December 30^th, indicating that a lot of Florida’s senior citizens have tested positive in the last few months:

Here are the cumulative deaths from the May 5, 2022, Florida Report:

And those from the April 22, 2022, Florida Report:

By comparing the last two reports taken over three weeks, we can see the number and percentage of deaths in each demographic group which occurred during April 22–May 5, 2022.

The deviation from the expected pattern of increasing percentages of deaths with increasing age can be attributed to the removal of two cases in the 30–39 age group:

Under 16 = 1 (0.4%)
16–29 = 1 (0.4%)
30–39 = -2 (-0.9%)
40–49 = 9 (3.9%)
50–59 = 26 (11.3%)
60–64 = 13 (5.6%)
65+ = 182 (79.1%)

230 100%

Florida Covid-19 Response

April 22, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

CDC: Demographic Trends of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC

Florida does not report deaths by vaccination status, so I cannot determine the percentage of deaths occurring in unvaccinated people, those who received a full series, or boosted individuals.

The CDC recently updated their algorithm for calculating excess deaths in the US to include six years of data, rather than four, due to the pandemic skewing the expected numbers.

It accounts for the higher than typical age of Florida’s population.

You can click on each bar on their site to see the data for that week. It takes up to eight weeks for complete reporting:

Here is another way to visualize that chart. You can see all states by clicking Percent Excess Deaths on the CDC’s site:

CDC: Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19

Florida has a higher than expected proportion of excess deaths compared to other states.

This is the total number of excess deaths throughout the pandemic, not the number per 100,000 people.

California has 70% more people than Florida yet the number of excess deaths is nearly the same:

CDC: Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19 by Jurisdiction/Cause

On December 23, 2021, Florida improved from the deepest shade of blue for the first time since I began downloading this graphic.

If you go to the CDC’s site and click on Florida, you will see on the May 7^th update that only 20 deaths are reported for the last 7 days, despite 112 when comparing CDC cumulative deaths for April 28, 2022, with the state report during April 29–May 5, 2022.

The other large states have much higher numbers for the week.

Florida now ranks second for the highest proportion of Covid deaths among the six largest states: CA (227); TX (298); FL (344); NY (249); PA (349); IL (299):

CDC: United States COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Laboratory Testing by State and Territory

Dec 23, 2021 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Covid Cases in Florida:

With the rise in at-home testing, since the omicron wave began, it is important to know that official confirmed cases are likely to be significantly undercounted.

For the week ending on April 28, 2022, the CDC reported 26,574 confirmed Covid cases.

Adding those to the state’s previous cumulative count gave us a total of 5,925,762 cumulative Covid cases among permanent residents.

On May 5^th, Florida reported 5,958,618 cumulative Covid cases. Of those 32,981 were new, an increase of 24% from the previous week.

Among the 59,555 cases of the last two weeks, there was an overcount of 125 (0.2%). That includes the 40-case difference which the state is retroactively reporting below:

Florida Covid-19 Response

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

I can no longer access this file, as my browser deems it a security risk:

FL Covid-19 Cases and Monitoring as of June 3, 2021

As of April 30^th, Florida had not reported cases at the county level for April 22–28, 2022. Using CDC data of the percent of change, we can reestablish how many cases were in each county during that week.

Clicking on this map of the CDC’s site will show you the exact number of confirmed cases. For example, Miami-Dade has 8,918 and Hillsborough had 1,709:

This map shows the percent of change from 7 days earlier.

The largest differences are clustered in northern Florida.

Knowing that Miami-Dade experienced an increase of 23.22% tells us there were 7,350 cases there during April 22–29, 2022. Hillsborough had 1,312:

CDC: Florida Reported Cases by County

CDC: Florida Percent Change of Cases

Dr. Jason Salemi was posting very helpful county-level case data until April 22^nd.

Unfortunately, his site has not recovered from the crash of his hard drive. Hopefully, he’ll post county-level data retroactively:

Salemi USF: COVID-19 in Florida

Meanwhile, data from the state report gives us no information about the amount of change:

Florida Covid-19 Response

To evaluate the trend in Covid infections among children during the week of April 29–May 5, 2022, we can use the data from two weeks ago.

During the week of April 29–May 5, 2022, 1,011 children under five tested positive in Florida, an increase of 21% over the previous week (836) and 53% more than in the last report two weeks ago (662).

Among those 5–19, 3,895 tested positive, 18% more than the prior week (3,307) and 54% more than two weeks ago (2,527).

In total, 4,996 Florida residents under the age of twenty tested positive, an increase of 20% from a week before (4,143):

Florida Covid-19 Response

April 22, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Children aged 5+ are eligible for a series of two Pfizer doses.

Booster shots are approved for anyone at least 12 years old who had a second shot of an mRNA vaccine over five months ago or got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months ago.

Those aged 12–17 are limited to the Pfizer vaccine as a booster.

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

This school year began on August 10^th, and the Hillsborough County School District instituted a mandatory mask mandate on August 18^th. They ended it on October 15^th.

Florida law prohibits requiring masks in non-medical settings and now leaves the decision about quarantining after a close contact at school to the child’s parents.

HCSD: Covid Frequently Asked Questions

A study of schools with more than 1.1 million students and 157,000 staff members determined a 72% drop of in-school Covid transmission occurred with mandatory mask policies instead of optional or partial masking.

NIH: Mandatory Masking in Schools Reduced COVID-19 Cases During Delta Surge

The Hillsborough County School District published a notice effective January 31, 2022:

“The Florida Department of Health has shifted COVID-19 case investigation focus to: ‘high-congregate settings’ (nursing homes/skilled nursing/assisted living facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, group homes) at high risk for secondary transmission or poor health outcomes among their residents as a result of COVID-19 infection. Public schools and daycare settings are not considered congregate settings.”

During the week leading up to that announcement 38,629 school-aged children in Florida had tested positive.

H i l l sborough County School District: COVID-19 Student Protocol

Jan 27, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening

On January 26^th, the Orange County School District announced that the state will no longer permit excused absences for Covid effective January 31^st.

Children who quarantine after a Covid exposure will be considered truant:

Orange County School District: Unexcused Absences for Covid

In the Hillsborough County School District, as of May 5, 2022, there had been 28,557 cases during this school year.

There were 120 cases reported during April 29–May 5, 2022, 18% fewer than during the previous week (146):

My daughters’ high school has had 144 cases, with none of those in the last ten weeks. The middle school has had 147; with one four weeks ago. Our elementary school has had 187, with three occurring in the last week.

Hillsborough County Public Schools Covid Dashboard

Florida Covid Statistics: What is Really Happening?

Florida Covid Testing:

The shift to home-based testing with the first omicron wave is highly likely to result in an under-reporting of Covid cases.

The CDC advises those with a positive at-home test to report the results to their doctor.

CDC: Self Testing at Home or Anywhere

On January 3, 2022, the Florida Surgeon General decried the “testing psychology” which seeks to identify all Covid cases to slow the rate of community transmission.

Amidst the scandal which erupted on January 7^th concerning the 1,000,000 expired antigen tests, Florida’s web site shifted its focus to testing. Specifically, that people who are not high-risk should avoid it.

On January 6^th, the governor announced the state was shipping 1,000,000 test kits to long-term care and nursing facilities:

T h e Hill: Florida Surgeon General Blasts “Testing Psychology” around COVID-19

Florida Covid-19 Response

The Hill: DeSantis Administration Says It Let a Million COVID-19 Tests Expire in Florida Warehouse

The Hill: Florida Sending 1 Million Free COVID-19 Tests to Elderly Communities

On February 7^th, the Florida Department of Health officially reprimanded two testing companies which failed to report the results of 230,000 Covid tests taken during December and January.

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Contractors Didn’t Report 230,000 COVID Tests on Time During Omicron Wave

Every household in the US is eligible to receive 2 shipments of 4 free Covid tests from the federal government at Covid.gov.

Public health officials recommend maintaining a positivity rate less than 5% for two weeks before reopening.

JHU: COVID-19 Testing: Understanding the “Percent Positive”

Florida crossed the 5% threshold during April 9–21. This week, the state experienced a 22% change to reach 9.0%.

That means there are likely 80% more cases than were confirmed by testing reported to the state.

Florida Covid-19 Response

However, according to data which the state reported to the CDC, seven-day positivity rate averages climbed steadily from 12.19% on April 29^th to 13.32% on May 5^th. The overall average for the week was a 12.82% positivity rate.

That means there were close to 85,000 cases in Florida during April 29–May 5, 2022.

CDC: Florida Daily Covid Testing

Dr. Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist from the University of South Florida, was posting very helpful county-level data until April 22^nd.

Unfortunately, his site has not recovered from the crash of his hard drive. Hopefully, he’ll post county-level data retroactively:

Salemi USF: COVID-19 in Florida

Approximately 2/3 of Florida counties are above the 5% threshold. They range from 0% for Glades County to 22.9% for Broward County.

Twenty counties have positivity rates above 10%. Only 14 are below the 5% threshold.

CDC: Florida Positivity Percentages by County

Broward County rose 10.5 percentage points to 22.3%. That 112% increase means there are 3.5 unreported cases for each official one.

Hillsborough County’s positivity rate rose 30% from 6.4% to 8.3%.

You can check on the amount of change in your county’s positivity rate by going to the link under this map:

CDC: Florida Change in Weekly Percentage of Positivity by County

Covid Therapeutics in FL:

Until January 8^th, the state continued to emphasize monoclonal antibody treatment as the focus of the Covid-19 Response web site:

Florida Covid-19 Response

Mutations which have resulted in the omicron variant render ineffective almost all the monoclonal antibodies previously in use, including the antibody combination used in Regeneron against the delta variant (imdevimab and casirivimab).

In the US, 100% of new cases were due to the omicron strains by January 29, 2022:

Covid-19: The Omicron Variant

NEJM: Efficacy of Antibodies and Antiviral Drugs Against Covid-19 Omicron Variant

CDC: Variant Proportions

For the week ending January 8^th, 97% of sequenced cases in the region which includes Florida were omicron:

CDC: Variant Proportions

Jan 13, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

At that time, there was only one monoclonal antibody produced in the US which could attach to circulating omicron BA.1 particles.

Sotrovimab works against the original omicron variant and omicron BA.1 at a dosage three times that required to neutralize the delta variant.

Covid-19: The Omicron Variant

NEJM: Efficacy of Antibodies and Antiviral Drugs Against Covid-19 Omicron Variant

During the first week of January 2022, hospitals in Florida used 140 of the state’s stockpile of 4,400 Sotrovimab doses, in contrast to over 2,700 doses of the ineffective Regeneron monoclonal antibody.

On January 18^th, the state announced the opening of additional monoclonal antibody infusion centers to distribute what remained of the 15,000 additional doses of Regeneron secured on January 7^th.

T a m p a B a y T i m e s : Omicron Undermines Florida’s Strategy to Combat C oronavirus: Gov. Ron DeSantis Continues to Tout Monoclonal Antibody Therapies, but New Evidence Shows Their Effectiveness Against COVID-19 Is Waning

Florida Health: Florida to Open Additional Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Treatment Sites

A week later, the FDA revised its Emergency Use Authorizations for the two components of Regeneron, prohibiting their use against the omicron variant.

The federal government stopped shipping those monoclonal antibodies. Why the state continues to emphasize this is mystifying:

Florida Covid-19 Response

Governor DeSantis accused the Biden Administration of having no clinical evidence, despite the manufacturers of both antibodies noting they are now ineffective:

F D A : Coronoavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Limits Use of Certain Monoclonal Antibodies to Treat COVID-19 Due to the Omicron Variant

Daniel Dale: DeSantis vs Regeneron and Lilly

Abcellera: Statement on the Neutralization Activity of Its Monoclonal Antibody Therapies Against the Omicron Variant of Concern

R o n DeSantis: Governor DeSantis Condemns Biden Administration’s Haphazard Decision to Revoke Authorization of Lifesaving Monoclonal Antibody Treatments

A newer subvariant called BA.2 was first detected in the US on January 15^th. As of April 30^th, 98% of sequenced samples in the US are BA.2.

With the rise in the even more transmissible BA.2.12.1—which evolved from BA.2—the CDC separated that newer strain from the subvariant into a new category.

It accounts for 36% of sequenced samples, up from 29% a week earlier:

In this map, purple represents the first two omicron variants while pink shows the amount of omicron BA.2 and red represents BA.2.12.1.

During April 24–30, 2022, the percentage of BA.2 increased from 96% to 98% (62% BA.2 and 36% BA.2.12.1) in the region which includes Florida:

Sotrovimab is 27 times less effective against BA.2 than for BA.1. Therefore, on April 5, 2022, the FDA amended the Emergency Use Authorization to revoke the use of Sotrovimab nationwide.

CDC: Variant Proportions

April 14, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Does Any Monoclonal Antibody Work Against BA.2?—Pre-print Lab Data Cast Doubt on the One Remaining Effective Antibody Treatment

BioR_xiv: Antibody Evasion Properties of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Sublineages

MedPage: COVID Antivirals Appear to Hold Up Against BA.2—In Lab Study, Monoclonal Antibodies Required Much Higher Concentrations Versus Omicron Subvariant

FDA: Update [4/5/2022] FDA Revokes Use of Sotrovimab to Treat COVID-19 Nationwide Due to the BA.2 Omicron Sub-variant

A different monoclonal antibody called Bebtelovimab neutralizes omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.2.12.1.

On February 10, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced the purchase of enough to treat 600,000 people. It began shipping nation-wide within a week:

Medical News Today: The Latest Omicron Subvariant: What We Know So Far about BA.2.12.1

Public Health Emergency: State/Territory-Coordinated Weekly Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics

On April 25, 2022, the federal government changed its allocation method and switched to a new web page:

HHS: COVID-19 Therapeutics Thresholds, Orders, and Replenishment by Jurisdiction

Here is the most recent federal allocation of 11,097 Covid-specific treatments to Florida:

1,925 post-exposure Bebtelovimab (for all omicron types)
6,580 of the oral Paxlovid
2,592 of the less-effective oral Molnupiravir (Lagevrio)
None of the Covid pre-exposure Evusheld is being delivered nationwide

In total, there are enough highly effective treatments for 8,505 Covid patients being delivered to the state this week:

FDA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes New Monoclonal Antibody for Treatment of COVID-19 that Retains Activity Against Omicron Variant

HHS: Secretary Becerra Announces HHS Purchase of 600,000 Treatment Courses of New Monoclonal Antibody that Works Against Omicron

HHS: COVID-19 Therapeutics by Jurisdiction

On December 8, 2021, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Evusheld, a monoclonal antibody developed to protect people over the age of 12 with severe immunosuppression against infection.

Due to the scarce supply, people with certain cancers or who have received organ transplants receive the highest priority.

Governor DeSantis announced the new preventative was available on December 17^th, when Covid was raging through Miami-Dade County.

However, the first shipments went to a small private fee-based clinic in Broward County, not to a major medical center. People flew from out of state to receive it.

A spokesperson for the state claimed the iCare Clinic received priority because it was open on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Jackson Memorial, the hospital in Miami with the most transplant patients in FL, was to receive it four weeks later.

Before that time, 11,000 doses had already been shipped to the state.

FDA: FDA Authorizes New Long-Acting Monoclonal Antibodies for Pre-Exposure Prevention of COVID-19 in Certain Individuals

Governor’s Office: Governor DeSantis Highlights New Preventative Monoclonal Antibody for Immunocompromised Patients

S t at: A Tiny Florida Company Got more of a Scarce Covid Therapy than Some Big Hospitals, Raising Equity Questions

Miami Herald: Florida Sent Scarce COVID-19 Therapy to a Private Broward Clinic before Jackson Memorial

Local 10: Jackson, UM Hospital to Receive Shipments of Monoclonal Antibody Doses for Immunodeficient Patients

Public Health Emergency: State/Territory-Coordinated Weekly Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics

Evusheld appears to remain effective against the omicron BA.2 subvariant. However, due to that subvariant, the FDA amended the EUA on February 24, 2022, to double the dosage of each component of Evusheld.

People who had already received it should contact their physicians about an additional shot.

The FDA is now uncertain how long the immunity conferred by Evusheld will last. I have not yet seen data on its efficacy against omicron BA.2.12.1.

Does Any Monoclonal Antibody Work Against BA.2?—Pre-print Lab Data Cast Doubt on the One Remaining Effective Antibody Treatment

FDA: FDA Authorizes Revisions to Evusheld Dosing

Public Health Emergency: State/Territory-Coordinated Weekly Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics

ISDA: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies

Florida received a monthly allocation of 12,312 doses of Evusheld on May 2^nd:

HHS: COVID-19 Therapeutics by Jurisdiction

Covid Hospitalizations in Florida:

You won’t find any hospitalization information on Florida’s Weekly Surveillance Reports. Florida stopped reporting Covid hospitalizations on June 24, 2021.

However, Florida must relay all hospitalization data to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Florida reported a record 13,028 hospitalizations for Covid-19 on August 24, 2021, to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

COVID Data Tracker: New Admissions of Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 per 100,000 Population by Age Group

Since the omicron variant became predominant, hospital officials are seeing more incidental Covid cases among people who are in the hospital.

Roughly one-third are admitted for a primary diagnosis of Covid; one-third for a Covid infection making an underlying condition worse; and one-third for reasons unrelated to their viral infection.

WaPo: In the Nation’s Hospitals, this Covid Wave Is Different

MedPage: When COVID Pushes Other Conditions Past the “Tipping Point”—Is the Patient Hospitalized “for” COVID, “with” COVID, or Somewhere in Between?

For August 1, 2020–May 5, 2022, Florida has had 415,313 new hospital admissions for Covid patients. This represents 8.9% of all Covid admissions for 6.6% of the US population.

During April 29–May 5, 2022, there was an average of 193 admissions per day, a total of 1,356. That was an increase of 27% from the previous week (1,066; 151/day).

Nevertheless, that was 91% fewer compared to the peak during August 11–17, 2021, when there were 10.42 admissions/100,000 Floridians:

You can find more detailed hospitalization statistics on the same CDC COVID Data Tracker, choosing Florida as the Jurisdiction and stratifying by any age. For some age groups, I had to use the average from May 4 and May 6:

On May 5, 2022, hospitalizations for adult age groups except for 60–69 rose significantly. For those with increases, the amount of change ranged from 12% (ages 40–49) to 42% (18–29 and 50–59).

For that same period, pediatric admissions rose by 60%. Children experienced a 203% rise during the last week of December.

Compared to the delta variant wave we encountered in 2021, omicron admissions have been higher for people younger than 30 and older than 69.

On May 5^th, there were 0.90 new admissions/100,000 Floridians; 0.70 the week before:

Age	Admissions	% Change
0–17	0.32	60
18–29	0.37	42
30–39	0.48	23
40–49	0.36	12
50–59	0.67	42
60–69	0.84	-9
70+	3.03	31
all ages	0.90	28

COVID Data Tracker: New Admissions of Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 per 100,000 Population by Age Group

April 28, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Since Dr. Salemi’s hard drive crashed last week, I cannot access the state ranking. While his hospitalization site is still up, he has not updated the data.

Salemi USF: COVID-19 Currently Hospitalized in Florida

Here is the most recent county-level data from the CDC. You can click on their web site’s map to see specific information for each county.

For example, Miami-Dade has had 227 new hospital admissions in the last 7 days, Broward has had 163, and Hillsborough has had 100:

CDC: Florida Confirmed COVID-19 New Hospital Admissions by County

This is the percentage of change in hospital admissions by county. The highest increases are concentrated in the northern part of the state:

CDC: Percent Change in Hospital Admissions by County

HHS tracks Hospital Utilization. On the morning of May 6, 2022, 76% of hospital beds in Florida were full, down from 77% last week.

Covid patients accounted for 1,303 of them (2% of utilized beds, also the same as last week).

A week earlier, there were 1,169 hospitalized Covid patients, so there were 11% more inpatients with Covid:

Two percent of ICU beds in use in Florida were used by 103 Covid patients, 11% more than the previous week (93). Last week, 2% of ICU beds were used by Covid patients.

Overall, 73% of ICU beds are occupied in the state, the same as a week earlier: