TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A disappointing month for the United States economy is accompanied by more Floridians facing eviction and the continuing march of COVID-19’s delta variant as August’s unemployment number hit 5.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the cases per day in Florida are coming in at an average of 17,591 per day over the last six days, from Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, the most recent daily numbers sent by the Florida Department of Health to the CDC.
Florida’s DOH weekly report, which published on Aug. 27 and covered data from Aug. 20 to Aug. 26, showed 151,760 new cases reported that week, though the number printed in the report was 151,749. Subtracting the previous week’s cumulative cases recorded from the latest cumulative report showed the 151,760 cases added over Aug. 20 to Aug. 26 in Florida.
Individually, those daily case numbers, sent from Florida DOH to the CDC are recorded as:
| Date | New Cases Reported |
|---|---|
| Aug. 27, 2021 | 21,388 |
| Aug. 28, 2021 | 17,734 |
| Aug. 29, 2021 | 13,084 |
| Aug. 30, 2021 | 18,746 |
| Aug. 31, 2021 | 19,206 |
| Sept. 1, 2021 | 21,392 |
The Supreme Court of the United States blocked the latest version of the CDC and White House’s eviction moratorium, ending protections for Americans still facing economic hardship from having to go to court to fight to keep their homes right when expanded federal unemployment benefits end.
Schools are reopening and COVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise, both nationally and in Florida, and the latest data shows that child hospitalizations have increased 10-fold over the past two weeks, rising from six hospitalizations per day to 65 per day, based on the latest reporting by the CDC. Florida continues to see a rise in mortalities as the delta variant cases of COVID-19 continue, unabated.
Some funeral directors, including in Tampa, have had to bury multiple members from the same families only weeks apart, and other families have had to wait for availability.
Meanwhile, the latest Census Household Pulse Survey shows that 591,263 Floridians believe they’re likely to leave their homes due to eviction within the next two months, with 42,291 of the survey respondents saying they were behind on rent, from one month to eight months.
| Months behind on rental payments | Total | Very likely | Somewhat likely | Not very likely | Not likely at all | Did not report |
| 1 month | 151,718 | 1,167 | 82,062 | 46,328 | 22,160 | – |
| 2 months | 149,078 | 86,462 | 9,441 | 50,848 | 2,327 | – |
| 3 months | 107,700 | 29,738 | 77,456 | 506 | – | – |
| 4 months | 17,285 | 16,606 | 679 | – | – | – |
| 5 months | 8,812 | 8,812 | – | – | – | – |
| 6 months | 1,965 | – | 1,965 | – | – | – |
| 7 months | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 months or more | 5,733 | 3,112 | – | 2,621 | – | – |
| Did not report | 82,186 | – | – | 10,396 | 2,880 | 68,909 |
Just 235,000 jobs were added in August, after two months of stronger job growth. The previous two months had added close to 940,000 jobs each, according to reporting by the Department of Labor.
With expanded unemployment benefits done in Florida since June and rental assistance programs still only using a small part of the $1.4 billion made available for aid, safety from the COVID-19 pandemic is being left largely to the individual.
The continued policy of prohibiting mask requirements comes as law enforcement officers die to the virus, in a bid by the state government to leave all choice for restriction and prevention in voters’ hands.
Rather than allow private companies to have their own rules for masking, Florida businesses will instead face $5,000 fines for violating a recent law that banned so-called vaccine passports.
In the meantime, Florida continues to focus on providing what it calls access to early treatment, through multiple state sites offering Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment.