TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A recent report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force regarding the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Florida encourages state officials to take immediate action in slowing the spread of the virus.
The Dec 6. report, which was made public by the non-profit organization Center for Public Integrity on Saturday, touches on where Florida is in terms of handling and preventing the spread of COVID-19.
Earlier this week, the South Florida Sun Sentinel and Orlando Sentinel announced that they filed a joint lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis and his office “for failing to provide the weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force reports in a timely manner.”
In summary, the state report says:
- Florida is in the red zone for cases, indicating 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with the 41st highest rate in the country.
- Florida is in the red zone for test positivity, indicating a rate at or above 10.1%, with the 33rd highest rate in the country.
- Florida has seen stability in new cases, an increase in test positivity, and increasing hospitalizations and deaths, indicating unrelenting community spread and inadequate mitigation.
Some of the recommendations issued by the task force for the state includes…
- Despite the severity of this surge and the threat to the hospital systems, many state and local governments are not implementing the same mitigation policies that stemmed the tide of the summer surge; that must happen now.
- Mitigation efforts must increase, including the implementation of key state and local policies with an additional focus on uniform behavioral change including masking, physical distancing, hand hygiene, no indoor gatherings outside of immediate households, and aggressive testing to find the asymptomatic individuals responsible for the majority of infectious spread.
- All public health officials must make it clear that if you are over 65 or have significant health conditions, you should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked due to the immediate risk to your health; you should have groceries and medications delivered. If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household. Most likely, you will not have symptoms; however, you are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately.
- If you are over 65 or with significant medical conditions and you gathered outside of your immediate household, you are at significant risk for serious COVID infection; if you develop any symptoms you must be tested immediately as the majority of therapeutics work best early in infection.
- Begin warning about any gathering during December holidays.
- Aggressive testing must be combined with significant behavior change of all Americans. Ensure masks at all times in public; increase physical distancing through significant reduction in capacity or closure of public and private indoor spaces. Including restaurants and bars; and ensure every American understands the clear risks of ANY family or friend interactions outside of their immediate household indoors without masks.
A bar graph included in the report shows Florida is in a second wave of new cases reported. Additionally, the report states Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Polk counties are included in Florida’s top 10 counties based on the greatest number of new cases during the weeks of Nov. 14 through Dec. 4.
In terms of COVID-19 prevalence in Florida counties and metro areas, five of the 10 Tampa Bay counties are considered in the red zone: Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Highlands, Hardee.
Hillsborough and Polk counties are considered to be in the orange zone. Pinellas, Sarasota, and Manatee counties are in the yellow zone.
Below is what each zone means:
- Red Zone: Those core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) and counties that during the last week reported both new cases at or above 101 per 100,000 population, and a lab test positivity result at or above 10.1%.
- Orange Zone: Those CBSAs and counties that during the last week reported both new cases between 51-100 per 100,000 population, and a lab test positivity result between 8.0-10.0%, or one of those two conditions and one condition qualifying as being in the “Red Zone.’
- Yellow Zone: Those CBSAs and counties that during the last week reported both new cases between 10-50 per 100,000 population, and a lab test positivity result between 5.0-7.9%, or one of those two conditions and one condition qualifying as being in the “Orange Zone” or “Red Zone.”
View the full PDF report, made public by the Center for Public Integrity, here.