Florida's COVID surge 'a crisis of unprecedented proportions,' doctor says; school districts battle for masks. Latest COVID-19 updates
Florida became the third state in the U.S. to reach 3 million cases of COVID-19, a total surpassed by only 15 countries in the world.
Cases in the state fell very slightly this week, with 150,740 compared to 151,764 last week, but deaths were on the rise. The state saw 1,486 deaths this week vs 1,071 the week before.
Northeast Florida is bearing the brunt of the state's hot spot for COVID, with Baptist Health's five hospitals in the area seeing more than double the number of patients with COVID they saw at the previous peak of the pandemic last summer.
“Jacksonville is kind of the epicenter of this. They had one of the lowest vaccination rates going into July and that has probably really came back to bite them,” Justin Senior, CEO of the Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance, told the Associated Press.
As hospitals are overrun with COVID cases, Orlando's mayor asked residents to conserve water and cut back on watering lawns and washing cars for at least a week. The city is facing a strain on potable water, and the liquid oxygen needed to treat the water is being prioritized for COVID patients in hospitals.
“If worse came to worse, we would have to look at a boil water alert," Orlando Utility Commission Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Linda Ferrone said.
Orlando's largest health care system said there were 1,620 patients currently hospitalized, twice as many of last winter's peak.
“This is unfortunately a crisis of unprecedented proportions,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, executive director of infection prevention and epidemiologist at AdventHealth.
Meanwhile, Florida school districts are in the middle of a tug-of-war between state and federal authorities over mask mandates.
Florida's State Board of Education has warned Broward and Alachua counties — which have defied the state's anti-mask mandate order — to reverse course and allow mask exemptions within 48 hours or else risk pay cuts to administrators.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed an executive order banning schools from implementing mask mandates, but several school districts have put masking in place anyway, citing rising numbers of hospitalizations and cases of COVID among children in the state.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has been in touch with school districts to urge them to hold out against those threats, ensuring them that federal funds designated for COVID relief could be used to make up lost pay.
"Let me reiterate: we stand ready to assist any district facing repercussions for imposing CDC-recommended COVID-19 prevention strategies that will protect the health and safety of students, educators, and staff," Cardona said Friday.
-Mike Stucka and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Also in the news:
►San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require full vaccination to participate in public indoor activities, including going to restaurants and gyms on Friday. The rule surpasses New York City, which only requires proof of partial vaccination.
►Children in North Carolina must now get parental permission to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, after a new law was signed by Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday. Previously, minors had the legal right to be treated for communicable diseases on their own, worrying some lawmakers who wanted more control over whether their kids received the COVID vaccine.
►Honolulu officials notified the University of Hawaii that fans won’t be allowed at season-opening events due to the state’s current surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitals being overwhelmed, the university said in a statement Friday.
►Mississippi's poison control center has seen an increased number of people calling after taking an anti-parasite livestock drug to treat COVID-19 after misinformation spread on social media. "Patients should be advised to not take any medications intended to treat animals and should be instructed to only take ivermectin as prescribed by their physician," the state's health department said.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has had more than 37.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 627,821 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 210.7 million cases and 4.4 million deaths. More than 169.9 million Americans — 51.2% of the population — have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
📘 What we're reading: Which students missed class during COVID-19? We asked. And, schools don’t know. Read the full story.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group.
CDC warns at-risk travelers not to go on cruises, even if vaccinated
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance for travelers who are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 to recommend they avoid cruise ships, regardless of vaccination status.
The new guidance applies to older adults, people with certain medical conditions and pregnant and recently pregnant people. Prior to Friday’s announcement, the agency recommended that only people who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 avoid cruise ships.
The CDC's website says the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread easily between people in close quarters on ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is “high.”
– Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY
A woman's dying wish: Get her kids vaccinated
Neonatal nurse practitioner Dottie Jones warned her cousin, Lydia Rodriguez, of the "brutal" death and complications that come from COVID-19. But Jones said her warnings didn't make a difference; her cousin was adamantly against vaccinations.
Weeks later, Rodriguez and her husband, Lawrence Rodriguez, died after testing positive for COVID-19. The couple left behind four children.
"She spent her whole life against vaccines, and then before she was intubated, she asked doctors for the vaccine, but it was too late," Jones told USA TODAY.
Jones said Rodriguez's last plea was that her family make sure her kids received the COVID-19 vaccine. "She said, 'I need my kids to get vaccinated. Please make sure,'" Jones said. "It was too late to save her life, but she wanted them to be safe."
– Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID situation in Florida is a 'crisis,' and getting worse
