- April 19, 2024
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With Florida COVID-19 cases totaling 206,447 on Monday, July 6, — over 110,000 of which were reported in the last two weeks alone — Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to hold steady regarding his decision to reopen. He attributed the spike to increased testing across the state.
A record 11,436 new cases were reported on July 3, but when over 85,000 people are getting tested, numbers like those are to be expected, said DeSantis in a press conference in The Villages on July 6.
“Yeah you’ll have twice as many tests come back positive, but it’s not really evidence that it’s more prevalent," he said. The positivity rate has remained low, relatively speaking, he said.
The statewide positivity rate in the last week has ranged about 15%-17%, according to data by the Florida Department of Health. In Volusia, which currently has 2,804 cases, the positivity rate has been 10%-14%.
Florida's positivity rate is a "far cry" from the percentages in northeastern cities, DeSantis said. As during past press conferences, he pointed out that the median age in the new cases is much lower than it was back in March and April. The median age is currently 36 years old, a factor the governor said is significant because the virus is more lethal to the older population.
From a clinical perspective, he said 1,000 cases of people under 30 years old will be less significant than 50 cases in a longterm care facility.
“That’s comforting to know when you see the cases that it’s affecting folks who are less likely to see clinical consequences," DeSantis said.
Having tested about 2.2 million people in Florida, about 10% of the population, the governor said the state will be turning its focus to increasing antibody testing.
University of Florida Health Dr. Michael Lauzardo said during the press conference that the coronavirus presents a wide range of outcomes related to the age of the patient. He encouraged the younger Floridians to mitigate behaviors that could infect them with COVID-19, and later pass it on to older relatives.
“This is a long haul," Lauzardo said. "There’s some challenges here, but there’s a lot of reasons to be optimistic, and I think that those steps will make a big difference.”
DeSantis emphasized that people should continue to practice social distancing, and said that while wearing a mask can lower the chances of transmitting the virus, it should not replace social distancing.
“If you do it, you’re not going to get infected if you’re maintaining the appropriate distancing," he said.
