Florida Covid Statistics: What Is Really Happening, September 8, 2022

MedR_xiv: Further Humoral Immunity Evasion of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 BA.4 and BA.5 Subvariants

CDC: CDC Strengthens Recommendations and Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Booster Shots

MedPage: Report Shows Trump Administration Embraced Herd Immunity via Mass Infections—The Strategy Likely Contributed to Many Preventable Deaths, Report Notes

Salemi USF: Covid-19 in Florida

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

FDoH: Covid-19 Vaccines in Florida

McClatchy: Congressional Panel Demands DeSantis Briefing on COVID Vaccines for Kids by End of Month

FDA: FDA Roundup July 8, 2022

FDA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted

Tampa Bay Times: Ladapo Tells Congress that Florida Decision Could Limit Kids’ Vaccine Access

Florida Politics: Doctor Ousted from Florida Children’s Health Board Over Vaccine Views

MMWR: Hospitalization of Infants and Children Aged 0–4 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19—COVID-NET, 14 States, March 2020–February 2022

MMWR: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Safety Among Children Aged 6 Months–5 Years—United States, June 18, 2022–August 21, 2022

Until September 2^nd, each household could order up to three sets of four Covid tests at Covid.gov. Funding for this expired, except for people with Medicare Part B. They can receive 8 tests/month at participating pharmacies.

Omicron-specific boosters have been granted an Emergency Use Authorization. The only people who qualify for the older mRNA versions are those without two shots.

The Hill: Federal Government to Halt Free COVID-19 At-home Tests by Early September

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots

Fifty-nine Florida counties have high transmission; 5 have substantial transmission; 1 has moderate transmission, and 2 have low transmission. This is an improvement from a week earlier, when 64 counties were at the highest level and 3 were deemed substantial:

On September 8^th, the CDC deemed almost all of Florida as a sustained or resolving hotspot. A few rural counties have improved to the “low or moderate burden” category:

CDC: Community Transmission in Florida

CDC: COVID-19 Community Profile Report

Evidence from South Africa indicates that people who were previously infected with omicron BA.1 are susceptible to reinfection from the newer subvariants omicron BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and omicron BA.5.

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

These newer strains replicate in people’s nasal passages, tending to result in less severe illness.

The early omicron variants triggered long Covid in 4% of people, compared to 10% of those infected with the delta variant. Serious cases are rare but do occur, especially in unvaccinated individuals.

NEJM: Neutralization Escape by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5

MedPage: Omicron BA.4 and BA.5: Starting from Scratch Yet Again—Here’s What We Know and What We Still Need to Find Out

Lancet: Risk of Long COVID Associated with Delta versus Omicron Variants of SARS-CoV-2

Laboratory evidence on serum samples corroborates the South African evidence of increased susceptibility to reinfection with BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 for people who had breakthrough infections due to the omicron BA.1 variant.

Three doses of the AstraZeneca (A) or Pfizer (B) vaccines are also significantly less protective when compared to earlier omicron subvariants.

These charts are on logarithmic scales, so the declines are larger than they appear until you see the lower dilution number required to neutralize the viruses:

Subsequent research indicates that infection with the BA.2 subvariant also fails to confer immunity against BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5.

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

Nature: BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 Escape Antibodies Elicited by Omicron Infection

DPZ: Emerging Omicron Subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5 are Inhibited Less Efficiently by Antibodies

On September 10, 2022, 100% of sequenced samples in the US and in the region which includes Florida were BA.2, BA.4, BA.4.6, or BA.5.

That means that the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection which is spreading in the state cannot be completely prevented by the original vaccine formulations or an infection which occurred before late March 2022:

American Heart Assn: Rethink What You Thought You Knew about COVID-19 Reinfection

A preprint study of veterans in the US reveals additive damage to numerous organ systems as the number of Covid infections increases in each patient. Reinfection is something to avoid:

Research Square: Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection

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

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:

March 17, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What is Really Happening?

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 rebuilt site is omitting data derived from the Florida Department of Health reports:

May 19, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

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 no comprehensive Covid data from earlier than September 2, 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 Influenza Surveillance Reports 2001–2022

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

Florida Covid Deaths:

As of 9-8-22, the state has reported 80,386 Covid deaths among permanent FL residents to the CDC.
On 6-6-22, a report from the Florida Auditor General revealed the state omitted 3,000 Covid deaths from official reporting during March–October 2020.
The state says having Covid listed on a death certificate is not sufficient reason to count the death as Covid-related, so they will not be added to the Cumulative Deaths.
On June 4, 2021, the state removed 744 deaths among non-permanent residents and stopped reporting them.
During June 2021–August 2022, Florida reported only 7,695 of the 44,625 Covid deaths among permanent residents as “New Deaths” (17%).
1,845 permanent Florida residents died from Covid in August 2022, a 5% decrease from July (1,940). Only 151 were counted as “New Deaths” (8%).
During September 2–8, 2022, 22.3% of all Covid death reports in the US came from Florida (520). Compared to other people in the US (1,808), a permanent Florida resident was 4x as likely to die from Covid. Two weeks earlier, they were 4.8x more likely to die.
There were 354 deaths among permanent residents reported during September 2–8. That is the 2^nd worst in the nation per capita, behind only Maine.
The state is claiming only 9% of them as “New Deaths” (33).
Miami-Dade County reported 30 deaths (-12%); Broward had 26 (-10%); Palm Beach County had 30 (-43%); Orange—where Disney is located—had 12 (-20%); and Hillsborough had 15 (+25%).
FL has 9.5% of US deaths when vaccinations were available to all 16+, for 6.6% of the US population.
Over half of Florida’s Covid deaths have occurred since everyone 16+ became eligible for vaccination, with a 46% higher risk of death than those in the rest of the US. Before then, a permanent Florida resident was 10% less likely to die.
Permanent Florida residents aged 80+ rank 9^th best among the 50 states and Washington DC, with 22% fewer deaths than the national average for that age group.
Overall, 62 Floridians <15 have died from Covid. There was 1 infant death reported in the last 2 weeks.
19 children under 1 year old have died. Without small states with one death, FL ranks 10^th worst. Infants fared 7% better than the national average.
Removing small states with 1 death makes Florida the 3^rd worst for ages 1–4, with 12 deaths. The state has 13% more deaths in that age group than expected.
Without small states with 1 death, children 5–14 rank 7^th in the nation with 31 deaths, 35% worse than anticipated.
People aged 15–24 are the demographic with the worst Mortality Rate Ratio, 36% higher than the national average with 220 deaths.
Since the pandemic began, 5.9% of Florida seniors with a + test died from Covid (6.3% nationwide).
During September 2–8, 2022, 87.4% of all deaths among permanent Florida residents were among senior citizens.
As of 9-8-22, 1.3% of all permanent Florida residents who are 65+ had died from Covid.
The state reported a decrease in that statistic in the 7-28-22 report, although the size of that demographic group remained the same. That is impossible.
FL does not report Covid deaths stratified by vaccination status. However, deaths roughly correspond to vaccination percentages by demographic group.
CA has 80% more people than Florida yet almost the same number of excess deaths.
Maine has an older population, but its death rate (190) was about half of Florida’s (375); others with the oldest populations are WV (409); VT (109); DE (316); and MT (328).
Among the 6 largest states, the Florida death rate is the worst. In the last month, we have overtaken PA.
During August 2022, Florida’s death rate was 3x higher than for other large states; 3x higher than the 10 hottest states; and 3x higher than the 10 oldest states.

FL Covid Vaccinations:

On 7-13-22, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Novavax in adults. Novavax received an EUA for teens on 8-22-22. That vaccine employs older technology which some people who have resisted vaccination to this point may find acceptable.
On 7-8-22, the FDA upgraded the status for the Pfizer vaccine in ages 12–17 from an Emergency Use Authorization to full approval.
On 6-17-22, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children as young as 6 months old. The CDC recommended them a day later.
The FL Dept of Heath website continues to claim the FDA recommends vaccination for those 12+, not 6 months+. Another page from the state correctly cites it as 6 months+. The 9-8-22 official report says it is 5+.
Florida was the only state which failed to preorder doses for the youngest children, a move Governor DeSantis and the Department of Health spokesman said was deliberate.
Despite claiming health care providers could order doses directly, they were unable to do so for several days.
Within an hour of receiving a demand for an explanation from a bipartisan Congressional committee, the state began enabling healthcare providers to order the vaccines.
On 6-28-22, Dr. Ladapo testified to Congress that 33,000 young children are unlikely to access vaccination due to the ban on county health departments providing them.
I recommend using the Vaccines.gov site to locate a participating pharmacy. Young children can receive Covid vaccines at the same time as routine immunizations.
Publix has announced they will not vaccinate children under 5, although they were the first in the state to receive adult dosages.
On 6-30-22, the president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics was removed from the board of FL Healthy Kids for disagreeing with the DeSantis administration about the necessity of vaccination.
As of 9-8-22, 2% of permanent Florida residents aged 6 months–4 years had received their first shot (24,313)
Nationwide, 7% of children <5 received a Covid shot by 9-8-22 (1,140,000).
Among 1,040,000 children under 5 who received vaccination, symptoms were like those from routine childhood immunizations. No cases of myocarditis occurred. Only 19 experienced severe reactions. 0.0002% of them were hospitalized due to vaccination.
For those <6 months, having a mother who received 2 doses while pregnant reduced hospitalizations by 38% during omicron and 80% during delta. Vaccine efficacy doubled when given after 20 weeks.
Pregnant women who received boosters had 4x the antibodies of those with 2 doses. Their newborns had 2x as many antibodies as their mothers.
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.
On 5-27-22, the Special Olympics dropped their vaccine mandate for a national tournament after the state threatened to fine them $27,500,000.
The risk of cardiac inflammation due to Covid is 540% higher for boys aged 5–11 than vaccination. 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.
Children <4 years old in the US had hospitalization rates 5x greater than during delta.
6% of children who tested + in ERs had post-Covid health issues 90 days later (10% of those hospitalized and 5% of those discharged). The risk rose with more symptoms and age 14+. Respiratory, systemic, neurological, and gastrointestinal issues were common.
Since August 2020, 15,702 minors have required hospitalization for Covid in Florida, with 332 of those in the last two weeks.

During June 2022 in the US, unvaccinated children aged 5–11 were 74% more likely to need hospital admission than their vaccinated peers.
Unvaccinated teens (12–17) were 104% more likely to require inpatient hospital care than boosted teens.
As of 9-8-22, only 25% of Floridians aged 5–11 had at least one shot; 64% of adolescents did.
On 6-30-22, the state claimed a 7% rise in vaccinated teens with new 10,500 doses, not a 0.5% rise.
On 9-8-22, Florida claimed a 72% vaccination rate. This includes anyone with at least one shot, over 600,000 snowbirds, and “vaccine tourists.” The state report inexplicably claims to exclude children under 5 and include those 6 months–1 year old.
CDC data shows 68% of people in Florida had at least completed a vaccine series by September 8^th. They include 840,000 federal personnel whom the state does not count. Using state data, my calculation is 62%.
In the June 30^th and June 16^th reports, there is an increase of 500,000 people who had received at least one shot by the same date (June 16^th). The FL DoH spokesman refused to explain the discrepancy.
Long Covid, heart attacks, and ischemic strokes occur significantly less often in vaccinated people. Vaccination after infection can also reduce or eliminate Long Covid symptoms.
Children aged 5–11 are eligible for only the original Pfizer booster. Those aged 12–17 are limited to the formulation developed against the omicron variants.
28% had booster shots by 9-8-22, an important precaution against severe illness and transmission of the omicron variants. Only 6% of Floridians have had a second booster.
During June 2022, boosters prevented 64% of omicron hospitalizations among people aged 18–49; 72% for ages 50–64; and 84% for senior citizens.
Compared to people with boosters during June 26–July 2, 2022, unvaccinated people aged 18–29 were almost equally likely to die (0.01 vs. 0); it was 7x for 30–49; 5x for ages 50–64; 8x for ages 65–79; and 4x for people over 80.
During the initial omicron wave in Israel, a second booster prevented 64% of hospitalizations and 72% of Covid deaths among nursing home residents compared to those who received only a first booster.
In the US during June 26–July 2, 2022, 2 boosters prevented 94% of deaths; 1 booster prevented 84%; and a primary series prevented 80%.
A 2^nd booster is much less effective at preventing infections. For people 50+ during July 17–23, having at least 2 boosters prevented 72% of infections; 1 booster prevented 67%; and a primary series prevented 78% compared to the rate in unvaccinated people.
Mixing booster 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 9-8-22, 1,337,000 Floridians had received a 2^nd booster shot, only 30% of those who had previously gotten a first booster. That is 6% of Florida’s population.
Medicare will cover 100% of the cost of a second booster shot.
The state does not report cases or deaths by vaccination status. However, vaccination rates tend to parallel the death rates for each age group.
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.

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 28,791 confirmed cases among permanent Florida residents (-26%).
There have been 7,066,234 confirmed Covid cases in Florida among permanent residents.
On 6-6-22, a report from the Florida Auditor General revealed that 60% of people who tested positive for Covid during March–October 2020, were never notified of their results. That affected at least 183,000 infected individuals.
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.
After 10 weeks of ranking near the worst in the US, on 8-18-22, Florida’s state rank for confirmed cases improved to 18^th worst.
On 8-25-22, it fell to 11^th worst. There has been improvement in the last 2 weeks to 29^th best.
The most recent CDC data shows 88% of Florida counties have high transmission rates, down from 100% 2 weeks ago.
During September 6–12, Miami-Dade had 5,470 (-22%); Broward had 2,733 (-16%); Palm Beach had 1,786 (-29%); and Hillsborough had 1,7932 (-32%). Orange County—where Disney is located—had 1,558 (-24%).
Since August 25^th, cases in infants <6 months old decreased 23% to 256. For ages 6 months–4 years, cases decreased by 34% to 988.
Permanent Florida residents aged 5–19 experienced a 49% decline, despite adolescents having the highest positivity rate in the state.
1,213 children aged 5–11 had positive reports (-55%), and ages 12–19 had 2,546 positive reports (-46%).
Florida reported -1,235 cases for children <5 during June 17–23, 2022, when the state was preventing their vaccination.
During the 2021–2022 school year, the Hillsborough County School District reported 29,000 cases among students and personnel.
There is not a dashboard for the 2022–2023 school year which began on August 10^th.
Healthcare workers who wore respirator masks like N95s had half the risk of getting Covid compared to those with surgical masks.
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:

A report released by the US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in June 2022 explains Florida’s approach to the pandemic: get as many people infected as quickly as possible to reach herd immunity.
One Trump Administration official wrote, “Infants, kids, teens, young adults, middle aged with no conditions, etc. have zero to little risk…so we use them to develop herd…we want them infected…and recovered…with antibodies.”
Scott Atlas, the chief architect, advised the DeSantis Administration before joining the federal government. Dr. Joseph Ladapo also promoted this “low testing/no masks/no lockdown” strategy to the White House before becoming the state’s surgeon general.
Dr. Birx wrote an email refusing to meet with the group which included Dr. Ladapo, calling them, “a fringe group without grounding in epidemics, public health, or on the ground common sense experience.”
With omicron reinfection becoming common, we now know that achieving herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a myth, yet their tactics have not changed.
Recent research indicates that additive damage occurs to numerous organ systems with each Covid infection.
Due to at-home testing, the number of cases is likely to be under-reported.
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 crossed the 5% threshold during April 9–21, 2022.
For the week ending September 8^th, Florida claimed a 12.4% positivity rate. The data the state reported to the CDC indicates that May 1^st was the last time it was that low.
CDC positivity data using information from the state for September 2–8 trended down from 15.87% to 14.27%, with an average of 15.07% (-10% difference in a week).
That means there were about 87,000 cases during September 2–8, 2022 (-33%).
66 of Florida’s 67 counties are above the 5% threshold; 24 of them are above 15%.
Orange County, where Disney is located, reported that 14.83% of tests were positive.
Of the 58 counties with decreased positivity, 39 fell by at least 2 full percentage points. 3 increased by at least two percentage points.
On 12-30-21, when it was virtually impossible to find an at-home test, FL’s Agriculture Secretary revealed 1,000,000 expired antigen tests.
On 1-4-22, Dr. Ladapo decried the “testing psychology” in Florida to identify all cases.
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 US cases are due to those viral strains.
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.
Nevertheless, Florida administered over 37,500 doses after that date. Monoclonal antibodies can produce severe side effects.
Sotrovimab is 27 times less effective for omicron BA.2.
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 9-8-22, the percentage of the BA.2 subvariant was 1%; BA.4.6 rose slightly (12%); BA.4 fell to 2%; and BA.5 (85%) declined by 1% in the region which includes Florida.
A monoclonal antibody called bebtelovimab is effective against BA.2, BA.4, BA.4.6, and BA.5. It began shipping to Florida during February 14–20.
Here is the most recent weekly federal allocation of 8,717 Covid-specific treatments to Florida: 85 post-exposure Bebtelovimab (final allocation); 6,520 of the oral Paxlovid; 2,112 of the less-effective oral Molnupiravir.
In total, there are enough highly effective treatments for 6,605 Covid patients being delivered to the state.
As of 9-4-22, in the previous 2 weeks, Florida patients had used 63% of the state’s cumulative Paxlovid deliveries (+5%); 20% of the Molnupiravir (+2%); 60% of the Bebtelovimab (+3%); and 44% of the Evusheld (+4%).
On 7-6-22, the FDA authorized pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid since treatment must begin within 5 days of symptoms developing.
On 1-8-21, the FDA issued an Evusheld EUA for those with severe immunosuppression.
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.
Evusheld requires a much higher dosage against omicron BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, which account for 91% of cases in Florida’s region.
Unfortunately, Evusheld is ineffective for some subvariants which derive from BA.4 and BA.5, such as BA.4.6 (12% of FL samples).
On 6-29-22, the FDA increased the dosage and recommended getting the shots every 6 months.
On 8-29-22, Florida received a monthly allocation of 12,336 doses of pre-exposure Evusheld for severely immunocompromised people.

Florida Covid Hospitalizations:

Florida must relay all hospitalization data to the US Dept of Health and Human Services.
You won’t find any hospitalization info on Florida’s Weekly Reports since 6-4-21.
For August 1, 2020–September 8, 2022, Florida has had 486,266 new hospital admissions for Covid patients. This represents 9.2% of all Covid admissions for 6.6% of the US population.
During September 2–8, 2022, there was an average of 424 admissions per day, a total of 2,966 (-15%).
On August 25^th, there were 2.02 new admissions/100,000 Floridians; 2.34 the week before.
Admissions for all demographic groups fell. The amount of change ranged from -6% (ages 60–69) to -25% (40–49). Pediatric admissions declined by 21%.
332 children were admitted to FL hospitals in the last 2 weeks.
Compared to delta, omicron admissions are higher for younger than 30 and older than 69.
Since everyone 16+ became eligible for vaccination on April 1, 2021, Florida admissions are 60% higher than in the rest of the US. For September 2–8, it was 41% higher.
On 9-8-22, Florida worsened from 4^th to 3^rd in the nation for adult Covid admissions. During June 2–August 16, 2022, there were only 4 days that the state did not rank last.
Florida improved significantly to 9^th worst for adult hospitalizations; and 17^th worst for adult ICU patients.
Pediatric admissions improved to 10^th worst, and pediatric hospitalizations are at the national average.
When Florida officials refused to preorder vaccines for young children, the state was the 2^nd worst in the US for pediatric admissions.
Children <4 years old were 5x as likely to need hospital care during the first omicron wave than during delta.
On 9-8-22, 2,554 adult Covid patients were hospitalized (-7%).
The state had 413 adult admissions on that day (-14%).
292 patients needed ICU care, 11% of adults hospitalized with Covid (-7%).
54 children were hospitalized (-37%), with 20 pediatric admissions on that day (-26%).
Florida’s pediatric admissions rank improved to 11^th worst in the US. Until the August 11^th report, it had been no better than 3^rd for at least 18 weeks.
One in 22 admissions are for children, down from 1 in 4 on April 20^th:
On 9-12-22, Orange County—where Disney is located—had 135 new hospital admissions in the last 7 days (-23%).
Miami-Dade had 309 (-23%); Broward had 222 (-23%); Palm Beach had 216 (-12%); and Hillsborough had 240 (-21%).
Largest increases were in the Southwest.
On 9-9-22, 79% of hospital beds in Florida were full (+3%); 5.4% used by Covid patients (no change). Covid patients accounted for 2,868 hospital beds (-8%).
On 9-9-22, .5.2% of ICU beds were used by 3,125 Covid patients. Overall, 72% of ICU beds were occupied. On 8-29-22, there were 355 patients occupying 5.9% of them.

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.

For a few weeks in the spring, my computer downloaded the official Florida Covid report. Then it again refused to open the file, citing a security risk. Dr. Salemi has resumed posting a link to the report, which is how I access it:

Florida Covid Statistics: What is Really Happening?

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

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.”

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”

Here is some of the data for September 2–8, 2022 from the Florida Department of Health report.

Percentages of people who completed a vaccine series or received a booster shot are based upon the total population of eligible permanent Florida residents:

New cases = 28,791; Cumulative cases = 7,066,234
Positivity rate = 12.4%
New deaths = 33; Cumulative deaths = 80,386
Vaccination rate = 72% of those eligible with at least one dose
Fully vaccinated people minus those with booster shots: 7,819,623 (35%)
Vaccinated with at least one booster dose: 5,991,526 (27%)

Here is some of the data from August 26–September 1, 2022, which the state submitted to the CDC.

Cumulative numbers are derived from adding the new CDC or state information to the August 25^th Florida Department of Health report. The corrected vaccination rate is from the CDC. Positivity data reflects the average for the week as reported to the CDC:

New cases = 38,956; Cumulative cases = 7,037,443
Positivity rate = 16.8%
New deaths = 258; Cumulative deaths = 80,291
Vaccination rate = 72% of those eligible with at least one dose
Fully vaccinated people minus those with booster shots: not saved
Total booster doses: not saved

CDC: Florida Daily Covid Testing

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

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 in Florida as of September 8, 2022. Nineteen of our counties are at the highest level (33); 35 are at the medium level; and 13 are green:

In areas of high alert, the CDC advises everyone to wear a high-quality tight-fitting mask indoors. Please note that relaxed masking guidelines in green areas do not apply to severely immunocompromised people.

CDC: COVID-19 Community Levels

Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s COVID-19 Cases Remain High as Deaths Surpass 77,000

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:

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

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

Florida Covid Vaccinations:

Compare the FDA’s June 17, 2022, Emergency Use Authorization for eligibility in children (6 months+) to what Florida says on the Department of Health website (12+ on one page and 6 months+ on another) and in the September 8, 2022, Department of Health report’s vaccination notes (5+):

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

FDoH: Covid-19 Vaccines in Florida

CDC: CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children

As expected, on June 18^th, the CDC issued a statement recommending vaccination for all children at least 6 months old. They also expanded eligibility for the Moderna vaccine to children aged 5–17 years old.

On July 8^th, the FDA upgraded the status for the Pfizer vaccine in ages 12–17 to full approval. Novavax received an EUA for adolescents on August 22^nd:

FDA: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Down to 6 Months of Age

FDA: FDA Roundup, July 8, 2022

CDC: CDC Recommends Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine for Adolescents

Since the clinical trials in young children occurred while omicron was prevalent, it is not surprising that both vaccines showed lower efficacy in preventing infection.

Two doses of Moderna were more effective (51% in 6 months–under 2 years; 37% in 2–4 years) than two shots of the Pfizer vaccine, which failed to produce a sufficient immune response. That is why a full series of Pfizer consists of three shots (80% effective in trials; 73% against BA.2).

Both types were well-tolerated, with side effects comparable to other childhood vaccines.

Ars Technica: Why Moderna’s FDA-Authorized COVID Shot for Under 5s Has the Edge Over Pfizer’s

MedPage: Pfizer or Moderna: Which COVID Vaccine Is the Best Bet for Your Toddler?

Pfizer: Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Data Supporting Efficacy in Children 6 Months through 4 Years of Age

In anticipation of FDA approval, the federal government created a June 13, 2022, deadline for states to preorder the smaller doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines required for children aged 6 months–4 years old.

Florida was the only state to miss that deadline.

While federal pharmacies like Costco, Publix, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, and Winn-Dixie can order doses directly from the US government, most of them do not administer any vaccinations to children under 3 years old.

CVS Minute Clinics are an exception, accepting children at least 18 months old.

Despite being the first pharmacies to receive the adult vaccines in Florida, Publix has announced they will not provide them for children under 5.

I recommend using the Vaccines.gov website to locate a participating pharmacy.

During a press conference, Governor DeSantis asserted, “I would say we are affirmatively against the COVID vaccine for young kids. These are the people who have zero risk of getting anything.”

The spokesman for the Florida Department of Health stated, “The Florida Department of Health [DoH]… has made it clear to the federal government that states do not need to be involved in the convoluted vaccine distribution process, especially when the federal government has a track record of developing inconsistent and unsustainable COVID-19 policies. It is also no surprise we chose not to participate in distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine when the Department does not recommend it for all children.”

As with all other childhood vaccines, Florida hospitals were able to preorder the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5–11 in November 2021 from the state program Florida SHOTS.

However, the state’s website did not provide that option for the younger cohort for several days after receiving widespread attention in the national press.

The president of the FL chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that in her contacts with the FL DoH on this issue, the agency never claimed the situation would change after the FDA authorized the vaccines.

Within an hour of the bipartisan House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus demanding an explanation, pediatric healthcare providers were able to place orders directly beginning on June 17, 2022.

Participants in the Florida SHOTS program must order at least 100 doses. Unlike for all other age groups, the state will not store the lower dosage vaccines.

As a result, small independent pediatric clinics may find it harder to deliver these shots, making it even more difficult for parents with children under 18 months old. A ten-dose vial must be thrown after away 12 hours.

According to a federal official, “The state of Florida intentionally missed multiple deadlines to order vaccines to protect its youngest kids. Now despite repeated efforts to reach out and engage officials in the state of Florida, elected officials deliberately chose to delay taking action to deny Florida parents the choice of whether to vaccinate their children or not.”

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Infants, Toddlers Face COVID Vaccine Delay, White House Says

Fox: Florida Pharmacies Will Have COVID Vaccines for Eligible Kids Under 5

CNBC: Covid Vaccine “Deserts” and Tech Woes: Publix’s Florida Rollout Highlights Risks as Retailers Play a Larger Role

The Hill: Florida-Based Publix Says They Will Not Offer Vaccine “At This Time” to Kids Under 5

Web MD: Florida Governor Rejects COVID Vaccines for Young Kids

WFLA: Pediatrics Group Calls on Florida to Order COVID Vaccine for Kids

NY Times: After Public Pressure, Florida Allows Pediatricians to Order Vaccines for Very Young Children

McClatchy: Congressional Panel Demands DeSantis Briefing on COVID Vaccines for Kids by End of Month

Tampa Bay Times: “Waiting for So Long”: COVID Vaccines Reach Youngest Floridians

Miami Herald: COVID Vaccine for Infants Arrive in Florida. Here’s Why Doctors Are Throwing Them Away

On June 28^th, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo testified to the House subcommittee.

He confirmed that he and Governor DeSantis made the decision not to preorder the lower dose vaccines and to prohibit county health departments from vaccinating young children.

Dr. Ladapo admitted this would likely prevent 33,000 children without a regular doctor from receiving vaccination.

When a subcommittee member asked Dr. Ladapo about the risk of Covid infections compared to the risk of vaccination, the surgeon general called it “a perverse question.”

He asserted the comparison which matters is the risk of vaccination vs. non-vaccination, as if SARS-CoV-2 poses “little to no risk of severe illness complications.”

That same day, a high-ranking federal health official pledged to deliver smaller quantities of vaccines directly to health care providers who request them.

Based upon the experience with other age groups, pediatricians can safely give Covid vaccines with routine immunizations.

On June 30^th, the same day she began vaccinating young children, the state removed the president of the Florida Academy of Pediatrics from her board position at Florida Healthy Kids.

Florida’s Chief Financial Official made the move due to “some very political statements that do not reflect the CFO’s point of view, even going so far as to as to say that the state is ‘obstruct(ing)’ access to vaccines.’ The CFO does not share your opinion and believes the state has gone to great lengths to protect lives in the face of the Coronavirus.”

Tampa Bay Times: Ladapo Tells Congress that Florida Decision Could Limit Kids’ Vaccine Access

MedPage: Pediatrician Axed for Advocating COVID Vax in Youngest Kids

MedPage: Youngest Kids Can Get COVID Shots with Other Vaccines

As of September 8^th, 24,313 young children had received their first shot in Florida, 2% of that age group. Only 25% of children aged 5–11 and 64% of adolescents had at least one dose:

Nationwide, 1,140,000 children <5 had received a Covid vaccination by September 7, 2022, 7% of children in that age bracket:

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States

American Academy of Pediatrics: Summary of Data Publicly Reported by the CDC on 8/24/22

Among the first 1,040,000 children under 5 who received vaccination, symptoms were like those from routine childhood immunizations.

No cases of myocarditis occurred. Only 19 experienced severe reactions (0.2%). Four of the children needed hospital care; however, the parents of two of them asserted the medical emergencies were unrelated to the vaccinations. That makes the hospitalization rate 0.0002%:

MMWR: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Safety Among Children Aged 6 Months–5 Years—United States, June 18, 2022–August 21, 2022

For infants too young to receive vaccination, having a mother who received two doses of a vaccine while pregnant reduced hospitalizations by 38% during the omicron wave and 80% during delta. Vaccine efficacy doubled when administered after 20 weeks rather than earlier.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends that unvaccinated pregnant women become vaccinated as soon as possible to protect them and their fetuses from significant harm or death.

Pregnant women who received boosters had 4x the antibodies of those with 2 doses. Their newborns had 2x as many antibodies as their mothers.

MedPage: Newborns’ Protection with Moms’ COVID Vax Dips During Omicron

NEJM: Maternal Vaccination and Risk of Hospitalization for Covid-19 among Infants

ACOG: COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy: A Conversation Guide

JAMA: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Booster During Pregnancy Increases Maternal and Fetal Antibodies

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

On May 27, 2022, the Florida Department of Health threatened to fine the Special Olympics $27,500,000 if the organization continued to mandate vaccination for participants in a week-long national tournament.

The organization issued a statement saying they would nullify the decree “based upon the Florida Department of Health’s interpretation of Florida law.”

Politico: Special Olympics Reverses Vaccine Requirement After Florida Threatens $27.5M Fine

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. Hormones account for the differences in risk between age groups and sexes:

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

Research examining the health of children 90 days after they tested + in emergency rooms revealed that 6% developed post-Covid health issues. The rate doubled for those with hospital admission (10% vs 5%).

Those with at least 4 symptoms and age 14+ were at greatest risk of Long Covid. Respiratory, systemic, neurological, and gastrointestinal issues were the most common symptoms:

JAMA: Post–COVID-19 Conditions Among Children 90 Days After SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Since August 2020, 15,702 minors have required hospitalization for Covid in Florida, with 332 of those in the last two weeks:

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

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

In 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 from 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

Children <4 years old experienced hospitalization rates 5x greater than during the delta wave:

MMWR: Hospitalization of Infants and Children Aged 0–4 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19—COVID-NET, 14 States, March 2020–February 2022

On May 17, 2022, the FDA approved a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5–11.

The CDC recommends using only the original formulation—not the one developed against omicron variants—for that age group:

CDC: Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines Including Boosters

During June 2022 in the US, unvaccinated children aged 5–11 were 74% more likely to need hospital admission than their vaccinated peers.

Unvaccinated teens (12–17) were 104% more likely to require inpatient hospital care than boosted teens:

MedPage: FDA Authorizes COVID Booster for Younger Kids—Agency Citers Concern over Omicron, Long Covid in Its Reasoning

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

Sixty-two Floridians <15 have 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 was one of the top ten causes of death in those aged 0–19 during January 2021 through March 2022:

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

Salemi USF: Covid Deaths by State

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

MedR_xiv: Covid-19 Is a Leading Cause of Death in Children and Young People Ages 0–19 Years in the United States

According to the CDC. as of September 8, 2022, 68% of people in Florida had at least completed a vaccine series.

The increase of 840,000 compared to the Florida Department of Health’s data is attributed to including federal personnel stationed in Florida which the state does not count:

Based upon CDC data, 28% of permanent Florida residents and snowbirds have received a booster shot:

CDC: Integrated County View Florida

Palm Beach Post: COVID-19 in Florida: Wave Appears to Be Flattening with New Infections, Hospitalizations Holding Steady

As of September 8, 2022, 1,337,581 people in Florida had a second booster shot. That amounts to 30% of those 50+ who had previously received a first booster and 6% of the total population:

CDC: Percent of People with a First Booster Dose Who Received a Second Booster Dose Reported to the CDC by State/Territory for the Population 50 Years of Age and Older

Note that the segments of the population with the highest percentage of boosted individuals also have lower than expected death rates compared to the national averages.

Vaccinated individuals who get infected have less than half the risk of a heart attack or stroke due to narrowed arteries:

CDC: Integrated County View Florida

Salemi USF: Covid Deaths by State

MedPage: Vaccinated Have Lower Heart, Stroke Risk from COVID

On March 25, 2022, USA Today reported that over 600,000 snowbirds had 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

This is from the June 30^th report. For the week beginning on June 10th, about 15,841,000 people had at least one shot:

And this is from the June 16^th report. For the week beginning on June 10^th, about 15,340,000 people had at least one shot. That is a difference of about 500,000 people:

June 30, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

June 16, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

The spokesman for the Florida Department of Health offered no explanation other than “Please read the last page of the report.”

According to that section, the population is based upon the number of Floridians at least 5 years old, a statement which contradicts the portion above which discusses how they derived the number of infants to include.

It is also identical to the Vaccination Notes from the previous report:

June 30, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

Palm Beach Post: Florida’s COVID-19 Vaccination Count Jumps 263,000 in Two Weeks. DeSantis Officials Won’t Say Why

June 23, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

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 vaccination.

UK Health Security: The Effectiveness of Vaccination Against Long Covid

Mixing vaccine types for a booster shot 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.

Children aged 5–11 are restricted to the booster without the omicron component, while those aged 12–17 are limited to the one with it.

The CDC recommends using the same vaccine for the first two doses:

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

CDC: Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines Including Boosters

CDC: Interchangeability of COVID-19 Vaccine Products

On May 24^th, the CDC added approval for a fifth shot for people 12+ with moderate to severe immunocompromisation.

The agency previously 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.

People on Medicare can receive a second booster shot at no cost.

During the initial omicron wave in Israel, a second booster prevented 64% of hospitalizations and 72% of Covid deaths among nursing home residents compared to those who received only a first booster.

CDC: CDC Strengthens Recommendations and Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Booster Shots

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised

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

CDC: COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

MedPage: Second COVID Booster Protected Seniors in Long-Term Care

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

The CDC has removed hospitalization information for adults who received only a primary series, backdated to December 2021.

This data compares people with as many boosters as they are eligible to receive to those who remain unvaccinated. You can click on the link to see the charts.

During June 2022, boosters prevented 64% of omicron hospitalizations among people aged 18–49; 72% for ages 50–64; and 84% for senior citizens:

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

The risk of death among unvaccinated people and those with a primary series during the weeks of June 26–July 2, 2022, is as follows:

Here is another way to visualize that data by making the risk of death after receiving a primary series = 1 and comparing the death rate for unvaccinated people to the vaccinated:

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

This graphic depicts the vaccination status of the US adult population compared to the death rates during September 2021–February 2022:

Peterson-KFF: COVID-19 Mortality Preventable by Vaccines

A second booster in people 50+ makes an enormous difference in the risk of dying from Covid.

During June 26–July 2, 2022, having at least 2 boosters prevented 94% of deaths; 1 booster prevented 84% of deaths; and a primary series prevented 80% of deaths compared to unvaccinated individuals (5.49/100,000):

CDC: Rates of COVID-19 Deaths by Vaccination Status and 2+ booster Doses in Ages 50+ Years

As we are currently seeing in the US, a second booster is much less effective at preventing infections than hospitalizations or deaths.

For people 50+ during July 17–23, 2022, having at least 2 boosters prevented 72% of infections; 1 booster prevented 67% of infections; and a primary series prevented 78% of infections compared to the rate in unvaccinated people:

CDC: Rates of COVID-19 Cases by Vaccination Status and 2+ Booster Doses in Ages 50+ Years

On 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

MedPage: Sexual Dysfunction, Hair Loss Among Long COVID Symptoms

Nature Medicine: Symptoms and Risk Factors for Long COVID in Non-hospitalized Adults

Covid Deaths in Florida:

On June 6, 2022, a report from the Florida Auditor General revealed that the state omitted approximately 3,000 Covid deaths from official reporting during March–October 2020.

The Tampa Bay Times article includes a link to the audit.

Those deaths are still not reflected in the June 30^th report or in the chart below.

The Department of Health responded that having Covid listed on a death certificate is not sufficient to count that as a Covid death, so the state will not amend the cumulative death statistic.

Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s Health Department Undercounted COVID Cases and Deaths, State Audit Says

Palm Beach Post: Florida Leads Nation in New COVID Deaths, CDC Data Shows

During June 2021–August 2022, Florida reported only 7,695 of the 44,625 Covid deaths among permanent residents as “New Deaths” (17%).

In August 2022, cumulative data indicated there were 1,845 Covid deaths among permanent Florida residents, a 5% decrease from July (1,940). Only 151 were counted as “New Deaths” (8%):

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, 2021, the state removed all data from anyone who has not established permanent residency. It 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

September 8^th cumulative data from the state showed 80,386 deaths, while CDC data from September 1^st indicated 80,032 permanent Florida residents had died.

Therefore, there were 354 Covid deaths reported in Florida during September 2–8, 2022. That is a decrease of 23% (459). Only 33 of them were counted as new deaths (9%):

CDC: Integrated County View Florida

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

Clicking on individual counties reveals a higher number than the state’s “new deaths” total.

During September 2–8, Miami-Dade County reported 30 deaths (-12%); Broward had 26 (-10%); Palm Beach County had 30 (-43%); Orange—where Disney is located—had 12 (-20%); and Hillsborough had 15 (+25%). Thirteen counties reported 0 deaths:

CDC: Florida Reported Deaths by County

Compared to the previous week, the CDC indicates that 11 of the 67 counties failed to report data. Another 6 showed drops of 100%, which often means they did not report data:

CDC: Percent Change in Florida Deaths from Previous 7 Days

According to CDC data, there had been 80,558 Covid deaths in Florida by September 8, 2022. This differs from the Florida Department of Health report by 172 people, likely because more deaths have been reported in the last few days.

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

SARS-CoV-2 infections have killed 46,362 permanent residents of the state since that date. Over half the Covid deaths in Florida have occurred since April 1, 2021 (58%).

Despite having only 6.6% of the US population, this represents 9.5% of all American Covid-19 deaths since everyone at least 16 years old qualified for vaccination.

That means permanent Florida residents were 46% more likely to die than people living in the rest of the US.

During September 2–8, 2022, 22.3% of all Covid deaths reports in the US came from Florida (520). Compared to other people in the US (1,808), a permanent Florida resident was 4x as likely to die from Covid:

Risk of Hospitalization and Death in Florida vs. the Rest of the US Before and After 16+ Vaccination and During September 2–8, 2022

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

In the aftermath of his hard drive crashing, Dr. Salemi has made some impressive upgrades to his site.

Here is Florida’s ranking of Covid deaths stratified by age. A Mortality Rate Ratio = 1 is the national average, so infants under one year old and senior citizens are the only age groups which have fared better than expected.

Permanent Florida residents aged 85+ rank 9^th best among the 50 states and Washington DC, with 22% fewer deaths than the national average for that age group.

Nineteen Floridians under 1 year old have died, some of whom may have fallen within the new vaccination eligibility criteria. Infants fared 7% better than the national average.

Florida has the 8^thworst death rate in the nation for ages 1–4 with 12 deaths, 13% more than expected.

Children 5–14 rank 7^th with 31 deaths. They almost tied the worst Mortality Rate Ratio (35%) with people aged 15–24 at 36% higher than the national average.

When I remove smaller states with higher ranks but only one death, Florida’s rankings change to 10^th worst for <1; 3^rd worst for 1–4; and 6^th worst for 5–14:

By dividing Maine’s population for each age group by Florida’s, we can see the two states have very similar demographics. Except for infants, people in Maine and Florida have fared quite differently:

Salemi USF: Covid Deaths by State

Nationwide, 6.3% of senior citizens who have tested positive have died. According to the September 8, 2022, report, Florida seniors had a 5.9% case-fatality rate.

In all, the state is reporting that 1.2885% of permanent Florida residents over 64 years old have died from Covid:

Note that the data for 2022 alone is one month behind, while the cumulative data is current. This makes what has happened recently look better than it really is:

By comparing the last two reports taken over three weeks, we can see the number and percentage of deaths in each demographic group which were reported during August 26–September 8, 2022:

Under 16 = 0 (0.0%)
16–29 = 1 (0.1%)
30–39 = 6 (0.7%)
40–49 = 16 (2.0%)
50–59 = 34 (4.2%)
60–64 = 45 (5.5%)
65+ = 711 (87.4%)

813 100%

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

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

Looking at the 7-14-22 report, the mortality rate/100,000 senior citizens was 1265.5:

The mortality rate declined in the July 28, 2022, report below to 1236.7. That is a number which can only grow, since the population sizes are identical in each report:

CDC: Excess Deaths Associated with COVID-19

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. This 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 information. You can see all states by clicking Percent Excess Deaths on the CDC’s site:

Florida has a higher than expected proportion of excess deaths compared to other states, including at least 17,000 unrelated to Covid.

This is the total number of excess deaths throughout the pandemic, not the number per 100,000 people. California has 80% more people than Florida yet the number of excess deaths is nearly the same:

Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s Preventable Deaths Rose During the Pandemic. It Wasn’t Just COVID

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

This map of Covid deaths rates from September 12^th shows that Florida reported only 42 deaths for the last 7 days.

Comparing the state’s cumulative deaths for September 12, 2022, with September 6^th’s yields 520 deaths.

Among the six largest states, Florida ranks first for the highest proportion of Covid deaths.

Due to the current wave, we have overtaken Pennsylvania: CA (239); TX (306); FL (375); NY (261); PA (365); IL (311):

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

Florida’s death rate was 3x higher than the other large states during May–August 2022:

Florida’s heat is often blamed for the large numbers of summertime Covid deaths, as people crowd into airconditioned spaces.

An analysis of the other 10 hottest states revealed their combined death rate was 1/3 of Florida’s during May through August 2022:

Florida’s large percentage of elderly people is often cited as the reason for the high mortality rate.

In 2020, at least 20% of the populations of 5 states were aged 65+. Florida ranked 2^nd behind Maine:

Maine’s death rate (190) was roughly half of Florida’s (375); others in the top 6 states with the oldest populations are WV (409); VT (109); DE (316); and MT (328).

Here is the data for May through August:

PRB: Which States have the Oldest Populations?

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

Tampa Bay Times: Why Are So Many Floridians Still Dying from COVID? How Florida’s Death Rate Compares to Other States, Including California, Texas, and New York

To get an accurate picture of that map for the last seven days, we must determine the death rate for 520 deaths, not 42.

Doing that shows that Florida had 2.5 deaths/100,000, ranking 2^nd worst in per capita deaths reported in the last 7 days, just behind Maine:

CDC: US Covid-19 7-Day Death Rate per 100,000, by State/Territory

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 September 8, 2022, the Florida Department of Health reported 28,791 confirmed Covid cases.

Adding those to the state’s previous cumulative count and last week’s 38,956 gives us a total of 7,066,234 cumulative Covid cases among permanent residents. Compared to the week ending on September 1^st, that is a 26% decrease:

Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s Health Department Undercounted COVID Cases and Deaths, State Audit Says

On June 6, 2022, a report from the Florida Auditor General revealed that 60% of people who tested positive for Covid during March–October 2020, were never notified of their results.

That affected at least 183,000 individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and likely had a major impact on preventing Covid transmission in the state. The Tampa Bay Times article includes a link to the audit.

On June 4, 2021, 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 43,535 cases.

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

Dr. Salemi has been publishing state rankings of confirmed cases, with the addition of Washington DC and New York City.

After a brief respite from ten weeks of terrible rankings, Florida fell to 11^thworst two weeks ago. We have now had two weeks of improvement, rising to 29^th best in the US:

Salemi USF: COVID-19 Cases in Florida

Clicking on this map at the CDC’s web site will show you the exact number of confirmed cases for any county.

During September 6–12, Miami-Dade had 5,470 (-22%); Broward had 2,733 (-16%); Palm Beach had 1,786 (-29%); and Hillsborough had 1,7932 (-32%). Orange County—where Disney is located—had 1,558 (-24%):

CDC: Florida Reported Cases by County

With a few exceptions, the greatest increases in cases are concentrated in the northern parts of the state:

CDC: Florida Percent Change of Cases

Dr. Jason Salemi was posting very helpful county-level case data until April 22^nd. Unfortunately, the county-level data he used to post is no longer available:

Salemi USF: COVID-19 Cases in Florida

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

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

Data released by the state on September 8^th tells us nothing about the amount of change:

To evaluate the trend in Covid infections among children during the week of September 2–8, 2022, we can compare the current report to the one from two weeks earlier:

Children under 5 are now separated into two age brackets based upon their vaccination eligibility.

During this week, 256 infants <6 months old tested positive, a decrease of 23% from 334 a week earlier. For ages 6 months–4 years, cases decreased by 34% to 988 from 1,505.

Overall, children <5 had a 32% decline in positive tests reported to the state in one week.

Adolescents had the highest positivity rates in the state at 15.8%. This week, 1,213 elementary-aged children tested positive, a decrease of 55% over last week (2,704). Ages 12–19 had 2,546 positive reports, a 46% decline from 4,739.

Combining these age groups yields a 49% decrease.

June 30, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

There were more cumulative cases reported for children under five in the June 16^th report (192,875) than in the June 30^th report (191,640).

That gives us -1,235 for the week of June 17–23, 2022, at precisely the time when the state was preventing vaccination of that age group:

June 16, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

The 2021–2022 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.

Healthcare workers who wore respirator masks like N95s had half the risk of getting Covid compared to colleagues who wore surgical masks.

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

MedPage: Healthcare Workers Who Wear Better Masks Get Less COVID

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 quarantined after a Covid exposure would be considered truant:

Orange County School District: Unexcused Absences for Covid

Schools closed for the summer after May 26^th. As of May 23, 2022, there had been 29,000 cases during that school year in the Hillsborough County School District:

This dashboard is no longer posted online for the school year which began on August 10, 2022:

Hillsborough County Public Schools Covid Dashboard

Florida Covid Testing and Prevention:

A report released by the US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in June 2022 explains Florida’s approach to the pandemic:

In March 2020, a radiologist named Scott Atlas began pushing the federal government to stop “a massive overreaction” that was “inciting irrational fear.”

He claimed that SARS-CoV-2 would kill about 10,000 Americans, a number so small that it “would be unnoticed” compared to influenza.

Dr. Atlas advocated isolating high-risk people and exposing lower-risk Americans to the virus as quickly as possible. Masks and widespread social distancing would prevent that from happening, so he eschewed them.

On July 4, 2020, another like-minded Trump Administration official wrote this:

Dr. Deborah Birx pointed out that many Americans over 70 live in multi-generational households, to no avail.

Dr. Atlas advised Ron DeSantis on Florida’s Covid response.

Several months later, Jared Kushner secretly hired him to join the Trump Administration.

Mr. Kushner told him to hide his badge and had him anonymously join Coronavirus Task Force online meetings for the first two weeks he was employed there, because Dr. Birx “would be extremely sensitive and upset and threatened if I came in.”

A memorandum written by Dr. Atlas called “Strategy for Moving Forward Covid-19” stated this:

He also claimed, “…emerging research adding insights into immunity and suggesting that herd immunity may arise with a far lower population infection rate than originally thought…We expect to see more cases with more social interactions, because this is a contagious disease.”

In August 2020, Dr. Atlas invited several doctors to the White House who agreed with his approach.

One of them was Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who now serves as the Florida Surgeon General.

Dr. Birx sent this email to the vice president’s chief of staff, calling them “a fringe group without grounding in epidemics, public health, or on the ground common sense experience”:

The group met anyway.

During her testimony to the House Select Subcommittee, Dr. Birx called the meeting “dangerous”, and said, “any credibility given to these individuals in this moment while we were headed into the fall would be dangerous for our overall response and ability to contain the virus.”

Fearing that large-scale testing was harmful because it would interfere with achieving herd immunity and lead to “lockdowns [which would] hurt Americans more than the virus,” Dr. Atlas wrote this on August 3, 2020:

After fierce debate, the testing guidance was drastically weakened against the wishes of the CDC director.

An unknown person removed the recommendation for people without symptoms to self-isolate for 14 days after close contact with an infected person. Testing declined significantly.

In September, Dr. Atlas sent an email claiming that PCR tests were “misleadingly positive.”

His “remedy” was to make the lab work stop after fewer cycles, making the virus harder to detect:

Three weeks after restrictions were loosened, the CDC reinstated 14 days of isolation even with a negative test.

When Jared Kushner read a draft tweet created for President Trump to ask everyone to wear a mask to slow viral spread, Dr. Atlas objected that it wasn’t consistent with the president’s disparagement of masks. It was weakened to read “only if you cannot socially distance.”

Dr. Atlas then wrote several op-eds claiming that masking could be harmful due to contamination and giving a false sense of security:

His anti-mask program enabled the spread of the virus, perfectly in keeping with his desire to get as many people infected quickly as possible.

The subcommittee cited Dr. Atlas’ schemes to promote herd immunity as a major factor in the subsequent rejection of vaccines by many Americans.

While meeting with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus, multiple former senior officials on the White House Coronavirus Task Force emphasized that Dr. Atlas severely impaired the effectiveness of the pandemic response.

Dr. Birx estimated that 130,000 more lives were lost due to those decisions, which closely mirror what we have seen implemented by the DeSantis Administration in Florida. You can find a link to the full report here:

MedPage: Report Shows Trump Administration Embraced Herd Immunity via Mass Infections—The Strategy Likely Contributed to Many Preventable Deaths, Report Notes

With omicron reinfections becoming common, we now know that achieving herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 is a myth, yet their tactics have not changed.

Becker Hospital Review: How Omicron changed the Reinfection Landscape

A scandal erupted on December 30, 2021, concerning 1,000,000 expired antigen tests sitting in a warehouse. At that time, it was virtually impossible to find an at-home test.

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.

On January 6^th, the governor announced the state was shipping 1,000,000 test kits to long-term care and nursing facilities. Florida’s web site shifted its focus to testing. Specifically, that people who are not high-risk should avoid it:

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

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

Until September 2^nd, every household in the US was eligible to receive 3 shipments of 4 free Covid tests from the federal government at Covid.gov. That came to an end due to funding cuts.

However, Medicare Part B will cover up to 8 tests/month at participating pharmacies.

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.

The Hill: Federal Government to Halt Free COVID-19 At-home Tests by Early September

Medicare: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Diagnostic Tests

High quality masks do work. Healthcare workers who wore respirator masks like N95s had half the risk of getting Covid compared to colleagues who wore surgical masks.

MedPage: Healthcare Workers Who Wear Better Masks Get Less COVID

Public health officials recommend maintaining a positivity rate less than 5% for two weeks before reopening. That means enough testing is taking place to capture even asymptomatic cases.

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

Florida crossed the 5% threshold during April 9–21, 2022:

June 2, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

The Florida Department of Health reported an average of 12.4% on September 8, 2022:

CDC: Florida Daily Covid Testing

According to data which the state reported to the CDC, May 1^st was the last time the state’s average was close to 12.4% (12.5%).

Seven-day positivity rate averages during September 2–8 trended downward with a range of 15.87% to 14.27%, with an average of 15.07% (-10%).

That means there were about 87,000 cases in Florida during September 2–8, 2022 (-33%):

Dr. Salemi was posting very helpful county-level data until April 22^nd. Unfortunately, his site no longer includes county-level data since the crash of his hard drive:

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

On September 10, 2022, all but one Florida county exceeded the 5% threshold, with only 25 of them below 15%.

Disney’s location (Orange County) had a 14.83% positivity rate:

CDC: Florida Positivity Percentages by County

Fifty-eight of the state’s 67 counties experienced a decrease in their positivity rates compared to a week earlier.

Three reported increases of at least two full percentage points. Thirty-nine fell by at least two points.

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:

Covid-19: The Omicron Variant

Mutations which have resulted in the omicron variants 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:

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

March 24, 2022 Florida Covid Stats: What Is Really Happening?

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

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 worked 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 continued to emphasize this until at least July 25^th is mystifying:

Those notices have finally been removed:

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

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

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

Nevertheless, Florida administered over 37,500 doses of ineffective monoclonal antibodies after the FDA announced they were no longer authorized for use.

Monoclonal antibodies can trigger severe side effects:

JAMA: Administration of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies After US Food and Drug Administration Deauthorization

Regen-Cov: January 24, 2022: REGEN-COV Usage Revisions and Important Safety Information

The subvariants called BA.4 and BA.5 were first detected in the US in late May 2022. They have rapidly replaced earlier versions of SARS-CoV-2. Even BA.2 is down to 1% of samples tested. The CDC has separated BA.4.6 from its ancestor, BA.4.

During September 4–10, BA.5 accounts for 88% of US samples; BA.4.6 for 9%; and BA.4 for 2%:

In this map, light green designates BA.4, blue represents BA.4.6, and dark green depicts BA.5.

In the region which includes Florida during September 4–10, 2022, the percentage of BA.2 fell to 1%; BA.4 dropped to 2%; BA.4.6 rose to 12%, and BA.5 was almost the same at 85%:

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