Orlando Area Shattering Covid Records In Worst Surge Of Pandemic
Topline
Just days after Mayor Jerry Demings (D) of Orange County, Florida, declared the Orlando area to be in a “crisis mode,” new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have soared to their highest levels throughout the entire pandemic, as officials implore residents to get vaccinated and wear masks.
In this handout photo provided by Walt Disney World Resort, guests stop to take a selfie at Magic … [+]
Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images
Key Facts
Demings said Wednesday that there were 1,371 new cases reported the day before in the county, which includes Orlando—the most yet in a single day.
On Thursday, officials with the largest health care system in central Florida, AdventHealth, said it had admitted around 1,000 patients with Covid, a new pandemic high.
The news comes after the hospital’s chief medical officer said on Monday that AdventHealth had run out of ICU space and was postponing elective procedures to free up resources.
Demings signed an executive order on Wednesday declaring a state of emergency, requiring masks inside of county facilities and mandating that all county employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.
Big Number
90%. That’s about how many of the AdventHealth patients hospitalized with Covid-19 are unvaccinated, hospital epidemiologist Dr. Vincent Hsu said.
Crucial Quote
“What’s extraordinary is the speed at which we are currently seeing new cases,” Hsu said, as quoted in the Orlando Sentinel. “We haven’t seen the end of it. This is still coming.”
Key Background
Florida is a major national hot spot for the delta variant of the coronavirus, accounting for around 1-in-5 of all new U.S. cases, according to the White House, as the state’s case load approaches its pandemic peak. Around 48.6% of the state’s residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Mayo Clinic, which is just below the 49.5% of the U.S. as a whole. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has encouraged vaccinations, saying they are “saving lives,” but he’s not allowing any localities to enforce new restrictions, like public mask mandates.
Tangent
The Orlando area is home to some of the top tourist destinations in the U.S., including Walt Disney World, which is planning to reinstate a mask mandate for all park visitors—regardless of vaccination status—in indoor areas starting Friday.
Further Reading
Record number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized at AdventHealth (Orlando Sentinel)
Orange County COVID-19 cases reach 1,000 per day as AdventHealth admits 90% of unvaccinated patients (Orlando Sentinel)
Major Florida Hospital Seeing Biggest Patient Spike Since Pandemic Started (Forbes)
Orlando Area Now In ‘Crisis Mode’ Amid Covid-19 Surge, Mayor Says (Forbes)
Disney World And Disneyland Reimpose Mask Mandates Amid Covid-19 Delta Variant Spread (Forbes)
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