Deaths from COVID in Florida remain high as the number of new infections begins to decline.

Florida reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths last week, although the number of new infections may be declining.

In a state report released Friday, the state added 129,240 new COVID-19 cases in the last seven days. This is the lowest weekly case rate over a month.

However, it also reported 2,345 new COVID-related deaths, the highest number of deaths per week since the start of the pandemic.

Due to the usual delay in reporting deaths, more than 1,900 of these deaths occurred weeks ago. New federal data show that Florida’s daily death toll peaked at 244 on August 15. This far exceeds the previous daily death record set in August 2020.

New infections continue to be concentrated in children and adolescents under the age of 20, accounting for more than one-third of new cases.

However, this week’s hospitalization report provided some hope that the worst of the current wave of infections was over. The Florida Hospital Association on Friday reported 14,279 COVID admissions at a Florida hospital. This is almost 10 percent less than it was a week ago.

Almost a quarter of hospitalized COVID patients are in the intensive care unit.

Mary Mayhew, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Association, said:

Dr. Nishitant Anand, Chief Medical Officer at BayCare, said there were signs that the surge had subsided. He said the previous wave of infection seemed to last for about two months. Models of rising delta variants in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom suggest a similar pattern.

It’s still unclear why that happens, Anand said. It can be the result of behavioral changes such as increased social distance and wearing masks.

“My optimistic aspect believes that it comes in a two-month cycle,” he said. “At least it seems encouraging to have a time frame around it.”

New cases continue to focus on the youngest residents of Florida. The prevalence of children aged 12 to 19 and teenagers is the highest in the state, with one in 100 inhabitants of that age group infected in the past week.

Dr. Christina Canody, Head of Pediatric Services at Baycare Heath, said:

The vaccine was not yet available when the children returned to school last year. However, the mask obligation was still in place and the state accounted for one-third of the current daily case rate.

“This year we were at the opposite end of the spectrum,” said Canody, and as a result, pediatric cases increased.

A Florida hospital has confirmed 452 pediatric hospitalizations and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 7 days. This is more than five times the number of enrollments in the same week last year.

As of Friday afternoon, 34 children infected with COVID were admitted to the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and 10 were in intensive care, officials said.

“We haven’t seen the tsunami collapse yet,” said Dr. Joseph Perno, Vice President of Health Care.

Children under the age of 12 are of particular concern because the use of the COVID vaccine has not been approved. Approval could come as soon as November, according to Pernod.

“Many are in school systems that don’t require masks. They are in a difficult situation,” he said. “Children are now facing different challenges than adults and are paying for them.”

On Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published two studies showing that the delta mutant increased the risk of children hospitalized for coronavirus. It is unclear whether the virus is more virulent or more contagious.

One study showed that the hospitalization rate for unvaccinated children between the ages of 12 and 17 was 10 times higher than the hospitalization rate for vaccinated children.

The current wave has also proven to be more deadly to children. The state reported this week the 13th childhood death in a child under the age of 16. At least one child has died for five consecutive weeks.

Treatment of COVID-19 in pediatric patients can be complex and confusing, according to Canody. Symptoms range from coughing and wheezing to seizures and arrhythmias. Even behavioral health changes may be associated with COVID-19 infection.

“We now call it a great masquerader,” she said. “We have a child with a changed baseline, and we are investigating whether COVID is part of it.”

•••

Delta variant: Infectious variants have changed what we know about keeping safe from COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know:

Children and COVID: The kids are back in school, but COVID-19 is still a problem. Here’s what parents and children need to know:

Q & A about vaccines: Do you have questions about the coronavirus vaccine? Florida, I have the answer.

Get DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the latest information.

Coronavirus Tribute to Floridian: They were parents and retirees, police officers and doctors, imperfect but deeply loved.

Do you have any hints? : Send us confidential news tips

We are working hard to keep you up to date with the latest news about Florida’s coronavirus. This task requires a lot of resources to collect and update. If you haven’t subscribed yet Consider purchasing a print or digital subscription.