By Marsha Mullings, MPH
USA
29 million cases, 526,000 deaths
Florida
1.9 million cases, 80,954 total hospitalizations, 32,000 deaths
Broward
198,000 cases, 9,065 total hospitalizations, 2,500 deaths
Pandemic Update
*The average coronavirus case count has fallen steadily for the last month, from 300,000 new infections per day to 60,000 per day.
*Deaths have fallen from an average of 2500 daily to 1500, for the past month.
*Three vaccines are available for emergency use: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson.
*10% of Floridians are fully vaccinated. 17.5% have received at least one dose.
*No severe adverse reactions have been reported among vaccinated Floridians.
Decreasing coronavirus numbers and a robust vaccination campaign are positive points of progress in defeating this pandemic. It is worth noting however, that the coronavirus variants rapidly spreading across the US and globally, can impede our progress and reverse successes achieved so far.
*There are now 3,133 confirmed coronavirus variants across the US.
*3037 are the B.1.1.7 variant (UK variant). This variant is highly transmissible and is predicted to be the dominant strain in the US by the end of March.
*There are 81 B.1.351 variants (South African variant) reported in the US.
*There are 15 P.1 variants (Brazilian variant) reported across the US.
Disease mitigation remains a critical weapon in decelerating the spread of virus variants and ultimately, defeating this pandemic. The key step that we can take is to practice good COVID-19 control strategies:
*Observe social distancing guidelines (6 feet or more of separation from others)
*Practice good hand hygiene (wash hands frequently with soap and warm water, or use hand sanitizers)
*Wear a mask when out in public.
*Avoid crowded indoor locations where possible.
For more information on coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention, visit www.FloridaHealth.org; coronavirus.jhu.edu; cdc.gov
