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Florida has the deadliest wave of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, a disaster fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant.
While Florida vaccination rates are slightly above the national average, the Sunshine State has an oversized population of the elderly who are particularly susceptible to the virus. a lively party scene; and a Republican governor who took a tough line against mask requirements, vaccine passes, and shop closings.
In mid-August, the state averaged 244 deaths per day, up from just 23 per day in late June, beating the previous high of 227 in the summer of 2020. (Because of the way Florida deaths are logged and delays in reporting are more recent Daily deaths figures incomplete.)
Hospitals had to rent refrigerated trucks to store more bodies. Funeral homes are overwhelmed.
Paramedics admit a patient to an emergency room in Clearwater, Florida on August 3. (Octavio Jones / Reuters)
Cristina Miles, a mother of five from Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville, is one of those who suffer more than one loss at a time. Her husband died after contracting COVID-19, and less than two weeks later, her mother-in-law succumbed to the virus.
“I feel like we’re all in a strange dream state,” she said, adding that her children grieve differently – with a shutdown, a different feeling inspired to pass a tough swim test, and the oldest conducts her life as usual.
The hospitals were inundated with patients who, like Miles’ husband and mother-in-law, were not vaccinated.
As a positive sign, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida has dropped from more than 17,000 in the past two weeks to 14,200 on Friday, suggesting the increase is easing.
Florida made an aggressive attempt to vaccinate its seniors early on. Dr. However, Kartik Cherabuddi, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Florida, said the raw number of those who haven’t yet got the vaccine is still large given Florida’s older population of 4.6 million.
CLOCK | Fauci on what it takes to get America vaccinated: 
Anthony Fauci on what it takes to get America vaccinated
Andrew Chang sits down with Dr. Anthony Fauci to discuss the latest vaccination campaigns in the United States and what it takes to vaccinate approximately 80 million Americans. 6:05
“Even 10 percent is still a very high number, and then people who come in contact with them will not be vaccinated,” said Cherabuddi. “With Delta, things are spreading very quickly.”
Cherabuddi said there was also a “big difference” in attitudes towards masks this summer in Florida compared to last year. That summer, “when you’ve been touring the state it was like we weren’t really on an upswing,” he said.
Governor Ron DeSantis has come out strongly against certain mandatory measures to keep the virus in check, saying people should be trusted to make decisions for themselves. He has also claimed that the increase in falls is seasonal, as the Floridians spend more time indoors to escape the heat.
A health worker conducts a COVID-19 test at a drive-thru location in Miami on Aug. 30. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
In total, more than 46,300 people have died from COVID-19 in Florida, which ranks 17th among states in terms of deaths per capita.
The majority of deaths this summer – like last summer – are elderly. Of the 2,345 people whose most recent deaths were reported in the past week, 1,479 – or 63 percent – were 65 years and older.
But the proportion of those under 65 who die from COVID-19 has increased significantly, which health officials attribute to lower vaccination rates in those age groups.
What’s happening across Canada
A woman is seen wearing a face mask in Montreal on Saturday. (Jean-Claude Taliana / Radio Canada)
- Ont. reports 944 new cases – the highest daily number since the end of May
What’s happening all over the world
As of Saturday, more than 220 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. The reported global death toll was more than 4.5 million.
By doing America, some cities in Brazil are offering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, although most people have not yet received their second vaccination. The move reflects the country’s concerns about the highly contagious Delta variant.
A resident will be given a booster vaccination against COVID-19 in a nursing home in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. (Silvia Izquierdo / The Associated Press)
In Europe, Germany’s top health official has called on more citizens to get vaccinated and has warned that hospitals could be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients towards the end of the year if the numbers don’t rise. Health Minister Jens Spahn tweeted: “For a safe autumn and winter we need at least 5 million vaccinations.”
By doing Asia Pacific In the region, New Zealand reported its first coronavirus death in more than six months, while the number of new cases continued to decline. Health officials said the woman who died was in her 90s and had health problems.
In Africa, a survey of 18- to 24-year-olds in 15 countries across the continent found that almost a fifth of 4,500 respondents in the survey said they had lost their job and 37 percent said they had to drop out or interrupt their education. Another eight percent of those surveyed saw their wages cut, 18 percent had to move home and 10 percent said they had to look after family members.
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