Delta variant’s spread raises Florida’s total COVID-19 cases

Florida is seeing a jump in the number of new COVID-19 cases, and it has many sounding the alarm. In June, our state saw 10,459 new cases.

According to Florida Department of Health’s report, over a 10-week period, we saw that number jump to more than 45,000 new cases. Now, these new numbers have even vaccinated people concerned.

The Delta variant is spreading fast, becoming the dominant strain worldwide. We’ve seen it in our infection trends here in Florida. If you are vaccinated, doctors say you can still get the Delta variant, but do not panic: The vaccines are effective against the Delta variant, and although it is possible to get infected, vaccines reduce the risk of serious illness that leads to hospitalizations or death.

However, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is calling this pandemic “the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” meaning those who are unvaccinated are more vulnerable to this Delta variant and spreading it.

Last week, Florida reported more than 45,000 new cases of COVID-19. In Southwest Florida, 1,920 new cases were reported. With Lee County coming in with the most cases last week at 1,014.

In all, more than 11 million people in Florida have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
And, over 9 million people are fully vaccinated here.

While the majority of businesses and other establishments in Southwest Florida have done away with their mask mandates, with case numbers rising, you may see more people wearing masks in public.

To continue to protect yourself from COVID-19 and its variants, the CDC recommends that people wear masks and get vaccinated.