Mortality declines as Florida’s Omicron wave recedes

Florida’s worst Omicron waves seem to be gone.

Infectious diseases have decreased by almost 50% in the last two weeks. The state has recorded more than 1,000 deaths for three consecutive weeks, which seems to have leveled off. The number of hospitalizations and the positive rate of cases are also decreasing.

Florida health officials recorded 103,022 COVID-19 cases between February 4th and 10th. Latest status report Released on Friday. This averages about 14,700 infections per day, down from more than 28,000 daily infections just two weeks ago.

The state recorded 1,293 deaths last week, up from 1,324 last week. Florida’s COVID-19 mortality rate has declined for the first time in seven weeks.

Since the first detection of the Omicron variant in Florida on December 7, nearly 2 million Florida people have been infected and 5,195 have died.

The state case positive rate dropped to 14.3%, the lowest rate in 7 weeks.

Infection and positive rates are significantly lower than just four weeks before the peak of the Omicron wave. However, both remain higher than any point between the first two COVID-19 waves in the state. The Omicron variant and its subvariants, known as BA.2, are highly contagious and pose a significant threat even when unvaccinated and have weakened immunity.

Florida received 48,025 first and second vaccinations from February 4th to 10th. This is the lowest number of vaccines given per week in the state since the vaccine was first distributed in December 2020. First deployed.

A quarter of Florida’s eligible population remains unvaccinated. This includes 1.3 million children aged 5 to 11 years, who had a positive rate of 15.7% last week.

At this point in the pandemic, South Florida University epidemiologist Jason Salemi said Florida citizens need to determine for themselves the level of risk they take.

“Attentional behaviors performed by people will depend, among other things, on where they live, their level of risk, and the level of protection provided by vaccination and / or previous infections.” He said. “There are no comprehensive recommendations.”

Tampa officials have decided this week to close two COVID-19 inspection sites opened after Christmas to meet the sudden demand for inspections. “The case rate has declined, the capabilities of private pharmacies, healthcare providers and home test kits have improved to meet the demand for COVID-19 testing,” they said.

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The first is the walk-up site in Al Lopez Park, which will be closed on Saturday. The other is the drive-through site at Albans Park, which will be closed on February 26th. Hillsborough County continues to operate four test sites, including the West Tampa Community Resource Center. Pinellas operates several sites.

As the waves of Omicron subside, Florida hospitals have fewer inpatients, but ICU utilization remains high.

An average of 973 confirmed COVID-19 patients were hospitalized daily from February 4th to 10th, a 25 percent decrease from the previous week. Florida ended the week with 5,953 COVID-19 patients currently in the hospital. This is almost half the peak number of Omicron waves. Nevertheless, ICU utilization remains above 80%, and 15% of these patients are infected with COVID-19.

The number of COVID-19 patients at Tampa Bay Hospital remains high, but has continued to decline over the past week.

As of February 11, BayCare reported 525 inpatient COVID-19 patients at 14 acute care hospitals in the Tampa Bay area. It is down from 679 last week. The majority of hospitalized people have not been vaccinated, said spokeswoman Vjollca Hysenlika.

As of Friday, 93 COVID-19-positive patients are being treated at Tampa General Hospital, 43 fewer than a week ago. This includes 25 patients in the intensive care unit.

AdventHealth reported 290 COVID-19 patients at hospitals in seven counties in the West Florida division. The hospital company announced on Monday that regular visitation rules will resume at six hospitals in Tampa Bay. Patients have been restricted to one visitor per day since January 17th in response to Omicron.

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital officials reported this week that the number of COVID-19-positive patients has just begun to decline.

According to spokeswoman Ashley Roberts, about 930 children tested positive for the virus in the hospital in January, the highest number in a month since the pandemic began.

Therefore, St. Petersburg Hospital has opened a second unit for COVID-19 patients. Most of the hospitalized people were under 4 years old and were in the age group who were not eligible for vaccination.

Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are developing vaccines for these ages, but parents who are eager to immunize their young children may have to wait a few weeks or more.

Pfizer postponed the application NBC News reports that the Food and Drug Administration should be approved to reduce the dose of the double-dose vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years. The company reported in December that a study of children aged 2-4 years who received two doses did not produce a sufficiently strong immune response. Instead, we will submit data from clinical trials on the efficacy of the three doses.

There are 18 million children under the age of 4 in the United States who are not eligible for vaccination. Moderna will report data from the March vaccine trial.

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How to take the test

Tampa Bay: Times can help you find Free public COVID-19 test site In the counties of Citrus, Hernando, Hillsboro, Manatees, Pasco, Pineras, Pork and Sarasota.

Florida: To the Ministry of Health Website List test sites in the state. Some information may be out of date.

America: To the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Website It can help you find a test site.

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How to get vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccines over 5 years old and booster shots of eligible recipients are administered in clinics, clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores and public vaccination sites. In many cases, you can book your booking online. Here’s how to find a site near you.

Find a site: visit Vaccine.gov Search for vaccination sites by zip code.

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

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

TTY: 888-720-7489

Disability information and access lines: Call 888-677-1199 or send an email to DIAL @ n4a.org.

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Omicron variant: Omicron has changed what we know about COVID. This is the latest How infectious COVID-19 mutants affect masks, vaccines, boosters and quarantine.

Children and vaccines: Do you have questions about vaccination of your child? Here are some answers.

Booster shot: Are you confused about which COVID booster to get? This guide is useful..

Booster Question: Are there any side effects? Why do you need it? Here is the answer to your question..

Senior protection: Here’s how older people can do it: Ensuring safety from viruses..

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