TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s new Covid-19 infections have greater than quadrupled over the previous week as the brand new Omicron variant spreads throughout the state whereas treatments remain briefly provide.
The newest weekly fee of newly reported Covid-19 infections from the Florida Division of Well being was 13.8 % as of Thursday, the newest figures obtainable, which is double the 5.4 % fee from Dec. 17. The state Division of Well being additionally reported 125,201 new infections as of Thursday, which is a bounce from the 29,519 new circumstances as of Dec. 17.
Officers on the Florida Division of Well being mentioned statewide hospitalization charges are decrease for Omicron. DOH spokesperson Weesam Khoury mentioned the company can also be persevering with a number of different efforts to battle the unfold of Covid.
“We proceed to watch the severity of sickness from the Omicron variant. So far, the information point out that the signs seem like much less extreme than the delta variant,” Khoury wrote in an e mail. “Fortuitously, early information seems to indicate a decrease per capita hospitalization fee than prior variants.”
College of Florida Affiliate Professor Of Drugs Kartik Cherabuddi mentioned there will not be sufficient monoclonal physique cocktails to go round as the state experiences a bounce in Omicron-related infections. Monoclonal remedy treatments such as Sotrovimab are scarce after cold-weather states noticed a surge in Omicron infections over the previous month.
A brand new antiviral remedy that might additionally battle Omicron known as Paxlovid was simply authorized by federal regulators final week. The Division of Well being and Human Companies allotted 2,580 doses of Sotrovimab to the state final week.
“We don’t have Sotrovimab and we don’t have Paxlovid — the 2 only therapies for Omicron,” Cherabuddi mentioned. “We’ve been receiving a whole lot of calls from suppliers and sufferers however we simply don’t have the drugs.”
Florida Surgeon Basic Joseph A. Ladapo has accused U.S. Well being and Human Companies Secretary Xavier Becerra of actively stopping the distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments to Florida and the U.S. Ladapo despatched a letter to Beccera on Tuesday afternoon a couple of “sudden suspension” of monoclonal treatments to the state.
“This shortsightedness is very evident on condition that the federal authorities successfully prohibited states from buying these monoclonal antibodies and serving their populations straight,” Ladapo wrote within the letter, which POLITICO obtained Tuesday night time.
Cherabuddi mentioned the variety of infections are increased as a result of extra individuals are both making use of residence take a look at kits or diagnosing themselves. Omicron can also be extremely contagious, which may worsen an ongoing scarcity of medical staff that was exasperated by the pandemic.
The variety of Covid-related hospitalizations are additionally going up, though not sufficient to overwhelm hospitals statewide, however the spike in Omicron-driven infections can also be anticipated to final one other two weeks. Florida Hospital Affiliation President Mary Mayhew mentioned the roughly 3,000 individuals hospitalized with Covid as of Tuesday was not almost the 17,000 sufferers on the top of the Delta surge, however staffing woes have gotten worse.
“Our greatest problem as hospitalizations enhance is the severity of our workforce scarcity,” Mayhew mentioned, later including that Covid-sick staffers have been additionally “exasperating the scarcity.”
Greater than 70 % of Floridians have been vaccinated as of Friday. Cherabuddi mentioned the tragedy of Omicron might be when the variety of individuals killed by Covid-19 goes up as 1000’s remain unvaccinated.
“Even the less deaths that consequence from this are going to be tragic in some methods,” Cherabuddi mentioned. “Why is that? Understanding the whole lot we all know, and realizing that this was going to occur.”
