As the coronavirus’s delta variant continues to sweep over the country and certain regions like Florida especially, Flagler County recorded 400 covid infections in the week ending Friday, breaking the previous weekly record set in January, and filling hospital beds as never before during the pandemic. The week’s increase represents a 346 percent increase over averages two weeks ago.
Flagler County was recording an average of 57 new cases per day last week, up from a daily average of 35 the week before, and 13 the week before that. Never during the pandemic have cases increased at as rapid a pace. The state Health Department is no longer issuing daily reports on the pandemic, as it did until spring. The Centers for Disease Control is issuing daily reports.
At AdventHealth Palm Coast, last January’s peak in hospitalizations was 32. Last week it was 35.
The numbers of Covid cases and deaths in Florida continue to increase, with an additional 67,413 infections and 358 deaths reported between July 16 and Thursday, according to data published Friday by the CDC.
There were 148 Covid-19 deaths reported to the federal government on Thursday, the highest daily number since June 7, when the state reported 190 fatalities. While the numbers were reported on those days, it is not clear exactly when the deaths occurred.
Thirty-eight percent of the new infections over the seven-day period statewide came on Wednesday and Thursday, when 12,647 and 13,256 cases were reported, respectively.
Florida is seeing a surge in cases and deaths as it grapples with the highly transmissible delta variant of the novel coronavirus and lagging vaccination rates. Hospital officials across the state say beds are filling up with Covid patients, in sharp contrast with most other areas of the country.
“The situation is worrying across northeastern Florida,” The New York TYimes reported Saturday. “The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is on track to match or exceed its earlier record. Wolfson Children’s Hospital has its second-highest number of admissions, 45, after reaching 57 in January. About 90 miles south, in Daytona Beach, an AdventHealth hospital, has more Covid-19 patients than ever before. Across the AdventHealth system in Central Florida, the Covid-19 patient load grew by 67 percent over the past week, to 720 from 430.”
The latest federal data show that 48.2 percent of Florida’s population is fully vaccinated — or slightly below the national average of 48.8 percent. Flagler County is hovering around the 50 percent mark (a little more, according to local Health Department figures, but only at 48.5 percent, according to the CDC.)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covod-19 “data tracker” is updated daily. The latest numbers include information through Thursday, but they were posted by the federal agency on Friday afternoon,
The Florida Department of Health also issues weekly reports about Covid-19 testing, infections and deaths. The information had been reported daily, but Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration decided in early June that it would publish updated data on a weekly basis.
At the time, DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, told The News Service of Florida that there was no longer a need to publish the information daily.
“Covid-19 cases have significantly decreased over the past year as we have a less than 5 percent positivity rate, and our state is returning to normal, with vaccines widely available throughout Florida,” Pushaw said in a statement June 4.
But the pandemic has worsened in recent weeks. As of Wednesday, Florida’s positivity rate over a seven-day period was 14.64 percent, the highest it’s been since July 31, 2020, when the seven-day positivity rate was 14.66 percent.
Florida is one of 14 states nationwide deemed to have a “high” level of community transmission of the virus. Flagler County’s infection rate places it as the 26th worst-hit county in the state, significantly higher than it had been overall–as the least-affected of the state’s 67 counties.
The coronavirus, which can cause Covid-19, is spread through droplets and particles, including when infected people cough or sneeze. Additionally, people can get the virus on their hands and become infected by touching their eyes, nose or mouth. The virus has a number of strains, but most-prominent currently is the highly viral delta variant.
Because of the timing of reporting and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its tracker, information on the federal website could differ from what is reported by others, including the Florida Department of Health. Also, Covid counts can be revised as more records are received and processed.
Vaccinations and Covid testing: Given the continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the community, the Flagler County Health Department (DOH-Flagler) will continue its COVID testing and vaccination sites for the upcoming week. Flagler County recorded nearly 400 new cases of Covid in the week ending Friday compared with 240 one week ago. If you have not done so already, please consider getting vaccinated at one of the following locations:
Mondays from 5 to 6PM, Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church, 915 N Central Ave, Flagler Beach.
Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30PM, Flagler County Health Department, 301 Dr. Carter Blvd, Bunnell.
Wednesdays from 5 to 6PM, First United Methodist Church, 205 N. Pine Street, Bunnell.
Fridays from 9AM to 11AM, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 4600 Belle Terre Pkwy, Palm Coast.
NOTE: There will be no COVID testing at the health department on Friday afternoons.
Vaccination appointments are preferred, but walk-ups will be accepted. Please call 386-437-7350 ext. 0 for scheduling or questions. Nearly all pharmacies in Flagler County offer COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, and 12 offer Pfizer, which is approved for individuals ages 12 and over.
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Eva says
Does anyone in our health system record on the number of new admissions that are younger and/or unvaccinated? Praying for all affected, and pray that more adults realize the vaccine is nothing to fear and will save lives. Hundreds of millions of us have taken it and among this group the infection is disappearing, or is mild not deadly.
Jane says
Please get vaccinated . Please. Don’t put it off for another day! The life you save may be your own or a loved ones. Stop this insanity and just do it!
Take a good look says
400 people were newly infected in Flagler County over the past seven days??? What does that mean for us if over half the population in the county has already been vaccinated?
Jimbo99 says
They need more data from testing and milking this pandemic and hysteria & fear mongering for all it’s worth. Click on the 1 month chart it’s a flat line for deaths, new cases . Flagler has been stuck on 114 deaths as a rolling 7 day average since beginning of May 2021. Biden himself no longer wears a mask at his recent town hall, his excuse, he was vaccinated (with the vaccines developed long before the Delta variant coincidentally). End of the day, this nation is in a Main Street Recession & unaffordable healthcare is the way to spend their way out of it. Have fun with the YouTube video. These are Trump-Pence developed vaccines, not Biden-Harris developed. 2020 was the biggest coup of a sitting POTUS we’ve ever had, there’s your insurgency. I guess Dr Poland is the new expert du jour since nobody believes Dr Fauci ?
https://usafacts.org/visualizations/coronavirus-covid-19-spread-map/state/florida/county/flagler-county
Really? says
And you and fellow thinkers are the biggest problem and the reason why this epidemic continues. Thinking like this is why people continue to get sick and die.
Mary Kay Hayward says
I don’t see your point, Jimbo99. People are still dying. I watched your video post, and this doctor is stating what Dr. Fauci has tried to convey over and over ad nauseum. Did our country/CDC/scientists/doctors work on the vaccine during Trump’s presidency? Yes, along with the rest of the WORLD. I believe Dr. Fauci, and I also believe Dr. Birx who stated that trump was constantly combative with promoting the vaccine, and masks, and social distancing, all the while ‘downplaying’ fear of the virus. (I have no interest in looking up the videos and reports at this moment, so I trust you will do that for yourself.) So back and forth with blame we go. Let’s stop this, please! The science has ALWAYS stated the only way out of this pandemic is inoculation. The tables have turned IMO: where we once wore masks to protect the weak and elderly, we now wear masks to protect those who cannot or will not get the now readily available vaccine. And those people should be fearful. This thing is a monster FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD, not just the U.S. I am vaccinated, but I will wear a gladly mask if it helps save your life…in the name of humanity, not politics.
Denali says
I do not know where the issue exists but there is a problem with your presentation of the “usafacts’ data. Your statement that Flagler has had a seven day rolling average for deaths of 114 persons is false. The site states that there have been 114 deaths in Flagler TOTAL. With a seven day average of ZERO. They then record only 57 new cases in the last seven days which is bogus. Perhaps the Flagler County picture is too narrow. Your really need to expand out to the entire state or use another county such as Miami-Dade with a higher more diverse population.
The Johns Hopkins site https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 which has been held as the gold standard since the beginning of the COVID 19 data tracking shows a different story. Granted they do not break the daily/weekly numbers data down by county but rather by state. Regardless, the numbers are staggering.
The numbers of new cases in Florida have increased from less than 3K per week in early June to over 73K for week end 7/23. Deaths during the same period have gone from 55 to 282 with over 1500 souls being lost in the last seven weeks. Vaccination rates have virtually flat lined.
While other states may also be spiking, none are reporting numbers like Florida. Missouri which has been highly criticized in the news ran less than 17,000 new cases and 70 deaths for the week end 7/23 which when adjusted for population would be about 51K new cases and 210 deaths. Other states are well below these numbers.
Something is seriously wrong here in Florida to have these kinds of numbers and to be leading the country in deaths. I wonder what or who it could be – – – Who has been the driving force to limit the use of masks and social distancing? Who has declared that schools will open without masks? Who has threatened to sue a business for requiring masks on their property? Who is putting business dollars over the lives of Floridians? Who traded his country/state for a red hat?
The remainder of your comment wanders in and out of reality with little relevant information thus warranting no additional comments from me.
Shark says
I’ll bet they all watch fox -fake news !!!!!
Fredrick says
No they must be listening to Kamala… or all the others who said they would not take a vaccine pushed by the Trumps “Warp Speed” project.
Remember the debate?? “Kamala Harris Says She Wouldn’t Trust a Vaccine Trump Recommended”
Can you point out‘ where anyone of Fox said do not get the vaccine?
Ray W. says
Is it factually correct to use the slang term for covid: the common cold. All my life, I have heard that there is no cure for the common cold. That was because the common cold virus mutates so often that it was always thought that any vaccine we could create would be outmoded by the time it could be designed, tested and then released for distribution to the public. Well, a number of companies rapidly responded to this particular virus, Covid-19, by designing, testing and receiving approval for distribution several different vaccines in record time, all of which are proving effective in limiting the harm caused by a number of mutated forms of the virus. Thanks must be given to both the Trump and Biden administrations for this now-21 month process, both for the design, testing and distribution of the vaccines. However, this particular virus continues to mutate, just as all other cold viruses have mutated for as long as I can remember and we are struggling to keep up. Throughout the process, there remains an element of society that refuses to believe, for any number of reasons, that the vaccine works. There is no need to list the various reasons, as any reason will suffice for those who oppose vaccines. Fortunately and suddenly, much of the political pandering to this element of society seems to have disappeared. Various governors around the country have reversed their stances and are now urging their citizens to get vaccinated. Leadership takes many forms and I give thanks that our own governor decided to lead by adjusting his public stance to recommend that Floridians go out and get vaccinated.
ASF says
It is NOT “factually correct” to compare COVID to the “common cold”…at ALL.
Steve says
Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day’s useless energy is spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one;
Lonely man cries for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colours from our sight
Red is grey is yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion
Late Lament Moody Blues
Curious says
I’m kind of curious of these 400 new positives, how many have been vaccinated or not vaccinated…
FlaglerLive says
The vaccine does not prevent against infection. It almost entirely prevents serious illness, hospitalization, death: hospitalizations of those with a full vaccine are in the 2-3 percent range.
TheTruth says
WAY TO GO DESANTIS AND TRUMP CULT KEEP TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO GET VACCINATED SO MORE INNOCENT PEOPLE CAN DIE. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS NOT SUPPORTING THE VACCINE OR MASKS SO THIS IS THE RESULTS.
WAIT UNTIL BUSINESSES START HAVING TO CLOSE AGAIN, THEY OF COURSE WON’T BLAME IT ON THEMSELVES BUT THE DEMOCRATS.
WAKE UP PEOPLE AND FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NOW REPUBLICAN TRUMP PARTY.
FlaglerLive says
Way to go desantis and trump cult keep telling people not to get vaccinated so more innocent people can die. The republican party is not supporting the vaccine or masks so this is the results.
Wait until businesses start having to close again, they of course won’t blame it on themselves but the democrats.
Wake up people and face the truth about the now republican trump party.
Mike Cocchiola says
I expect to see vaccination rates to increase in Flagler. I hope the evidence of a COVID resergence is compelling even to anti-vaxxers.
Mark says
Florida and flagler county need vaccine passports to enter indoor buissness asap! No more anti Vaxxers putting everyone at risk.
Karla says
At this rate, I predict school closures with VIRTUAL SCHOOL again!!! As a parent, I never questioned the pediatrician about the viability of the standard vaccination schedule. Nor did I question the need for proof for entrance into public school. Children will be further and further behind because of ignorance and the blame will be wrongly placed on teacher’s. The economy will suffer because doors will be shuttered, people won’t be paid, etc. When does this cycle stop? When every person does their part and takes the shot. Take the damn shot!
Yes, I’m a teacher, and I’m vaccinated. I caught Covid last school year from school. I knew I still needed the shot for extra protection for me and my students. So I did the responsible thing, got vaccinated.
It’s not just the medical field that’s exhausted, it’s teachers too. Many of us are considering early retirement and change careers. We sacrifice everyday for our students and you. Won’t you value our lives?
jim says
if you are going to mandate employees to get the vaccine, then i think it’s time to mandate ANY/ALL FAMILIES receiving any type of government assistance to gt the vaccine!!!
Johnny doe says
Folks, PLEASE stop listening to the media. Or else you would know the vaccine only protects YOU. You can can still carry covid, you can still transmit it. But now your turned into a asymponic carrier that has no mask mandate free to walk around walmart & publix.
Covid shot isn’t much different from a flu shot. The science is similar.
Stephen Smith says
I keep hearing unvaccinated people saying they are exercising their freedom. Unfortunately the only freedom they are exercising is the freedom to die needlessly from a preventable disease.
David Schaefer says
Wonder why they call the gov DeathSantis. Killing more of us every day.