Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Moving in the wrong direction: 7-day average of new COVID-19 cases in Florida increases 34% during past month, DeSantis sez 'meh'



Miami-Dade County leads the way.


Trump's sock-puppet governor shrugs it off.




2/15/2021 update starts here


New York Times

Total tests (positive and negative):  10,634,827 
  • Feb 8-14:          236,091
  • Feb 1-7:            247,572
  • Jan 25-31:         288,816
  • Jan 18-24:         289,461
  • Jan 11-17:         378,119
  • Jan 4-10:           355,963
  • Dec 28-Jan 3:    299,068
  • Dec 21-27:        316,563 
  • Dec 14-20:        346,666
  • Dec 7-13:          331,524 
  • Nov 30-Dec 6:  341,127
  • Nov 23-29:       305,934
  • Nov 16-22:       299,096
  • Nov 9-15:         209,474
  • Nov 2-8:           213,940
  • Oct 26-Nov 1:  238,625 
  • Oct 19-25:        248,156
  • Oct 12-18:        171,936
  • Oct 5-11:          153,616
  • Sep 28-Oct 4:   143,480 
  • Sep 21-27:        158,399
  • Sep 14-20:        171,229
  • Sep 7-13:          141,204
  • Aug 31-Sep 6:  185,162
  • Aug 24-30:       170,975  
  • Aug 17-23:       196,035
  • Aug 10-16:       246,965 
  • Aug 3-9:           264,666

New cases week by week:

  • Feb 8-14:          48,411  (down 14% from previous week)
  • Feb 1-7:            56,544  (down 20%)
  • Jan 25-31:         70,412  (down 8%)
  • Jan 18-24:         76,721  (down 20%)  
  • Jan 11-17:         91,947  (down 15%)
  • Jan 4-10:        108,333  (up 19%)
  • Dec 28-Jan 3:   91,012  (up 32%)
  • Dec 21-27:        68,726  (down 8%)
  • Dec 14-20:        74,446  (up 12%)
  • Dec 7-13:          66,376  (down 6%)
  • Nov 30-Dec 6:  70,914  (up 36%) 
  • Nov 23-29:       52,237  (up 1%)
  • Nov 16-22:       51,804  (up 29%)
  • Nov 9-15:         40,285  (up 13%)
  • Nov 2-8:           35,723  (up 27%)
  • Oct 26-Nov 1:  28,149  (up 22%)
  • Oct 19-25:        23,161  (up 14%)
  • Oct 12-18:        20,259  (up 12%)
  • Oct 5-11:          18,032  (up 13%)
  • Sep 28-Oct 4:   15,895  (down 5%)
  • Sep 21-27:        16,810  (down 15%)
  • Sep 14-20:        19,760  (up 13%)
  • Sep 7-13:          17,563  (down 29%)         
  • Aug 31-Sep 6:  24,845  (up 18%)
  • Aug 24-30:       21,015 (down 23%)
  • Aug 17-23:       27,155 (down 32%)
  • Aug 10-16:       40,610 (down 11%)
  • Aug 3-9:           45,674 (down 31%)
  • Jul 27-Aug 2:   66,277 (down 9%)
  • July 20-26:       72,808 (down 9%)
  • July 13-19:      80,236 (up 15%)
  • July 6-12:        69,700 (up 18%)
  • Jun 29-Jul 5:   59,036 (up 35%)
  • June 22-28:     43,804  (up 102%)
  • June 15-21:     21,703  (up 87% )
  • June 8-14:       11,630  (up 50%)
  • June 1-7:           7,775  (up 47%)
  • May 25-31:         5,296  (up 0.3%)
  • May 18-24:         5,279  (up 6%)
  • May 11-17:         4,992
  • May 4-10:           4,518
  • Apr 26-May 3:    4,450
  • April 19-25:        5,632
  • April 12-18:        6,641
  • April 5-11:          7,204


COVID Tracking Project


Deaths reported:
  • As of March 8   -          0 
  • As of March 15 -          4
  • As of March 22 -        13
  • As of March 29 -        56     (+  43)
  • As of April     5 -      215     (+159)
  • As of April   12 -      465     (+250)
  • As of April   19 -      781     (+316)
  • As of April   26 -   1,094     (+313 )
  • As of May      3 -   1,402     (+308)
  • As of May    10 -   1,791     (+389)
  • As of May    17 -   2,049     (+257)
  • As of May    24 -   2,316     (+267)
  • As of May    31 -   2,534     (+218)
  • As of June      7 -   2,700     (+166)
  • As of June    14 -   3,022     (+322)
  • As of June    21 -   3,254     (+232)
  • As of June    28 -   3,518     (+264)
  • As of July      5 -    3,832     (+314)
  • As of July    12 -    4,346     (+514)
  • As of July    19 -    5,091     (+745) 
  • As of July    26 -    5,972     (+881)
  • As of Aug      2 -    7,206  (+1,234)
  • As of Aug       9 -    8,315  (+1,109)
  • As of Aug     16 -    9,587  (+1,272)
  • As of Aug     23 -  10,462  (+   875)
  • As of Aug     30 -  11,263  (+   801)
  • As of Sep        6 -  12,001  (+   738)
  • As of Sep      13 -  12,764  (+   763)
  • As of Sep      20 -  13,459  (+   685)
  • As of Sep      27 -  14,202  (+   743)
  • As of Oct        4 -  14,845  (+   643)
  • As of Oct      11 -  15,502  (+   657)
  • As of Oct      18 -  16,168  (+   616)
  • As of Oct      25 -  16,632  (+   464)
  • As of Nov       1 -  16,997  (+   365)
  • As of Nov       8 -  17,333  (+   336)
  • As of Nov     15 -  17,734  (+   401)
  • As of Nov     22 -  18,214  (+   480)
  • As of Nov     29 -  18,736  (+   522)
  • As of Dec       6 -  19,423  (+   787)
  • As of Dec     13-   20,133  (+   710)
  • As of Dec     20 -  20,861  (+   728)
  • As of Dec     27 -  21,514  (+   653)
  • As of Jan        3 -  22,310  (+   796)
  • As of Jan      10 -  23,261  (+   951)
  • As of Jan      17 -  24,515  (+1,254)
  • As of Jan      24 -  25,693  (+1,178)
  • As of Jan      31 -  26,915  (+1,222)
  • As of Feb       7 -  28,161  (+1,246)
  • As of Feb     14 -  29,275  (+1,114)

Related reading:
Disney World Opens Its Gates, With Virus Numbers Rising.  (The New York Times, 7/11/2020)
Thousands of giddy visitors streamed into the Florida resort, as Disney tried to prove it can safely operate at a highly dangerous time.
Florida invited the nation to its reopening — then it became a new coronavirus epicenter.  (Washington Post, 7/8/2020)
As the coronavirus savaged other parts of the country, Florida, buoyed by low infection rates, seemed an ideal location for a nation looking to emerge from isolation. The Republican National Convention moved from Charlotte to Jacksonville, the NBA eyed a season finale at a Disney sports complex near Orlando and millions packed onto once-empty beaches. 
Weeks later, the Sunshine State has emerged as a coronavirus epicenter. Nearly 1 out of every 100 residents is infected with the virus, hospital intensive care units are full or filling up, and big-name visitors who chose Florida for their first post-isolation events are now mired in questions and controversies about safety. 
As the Virus Surged, Florida Partied. Tracking the Revelers Has Been Tough..  (The New York Times, 7/6/2020)
Miami’s flashy nightclubs closed in March, but the parties have raged on in the waterfront manse tucked in the lush residential neighborhood of Belle Meade Island. Revelers arrive in sports cars and ride-shares several nights a week, say neighbors who have spied professional bouncers at the door and bought earplugs to try to sleep through the thumping dance beats. 
They are the sort of parties — drawing throngs of maskless strangers to rave until sunrise — that local health officials say have been a notable contributing factor to the soaring number of coronavirus cases in Florida, one of the most troubling infection spots in the country.
Florida has reported more new coronavirus cases in 8 days than Louisiana has in total.  (nola.com, 7/4/2020)
Florida officials and health experts are worried that people will gather over the holiday weekend and spread the virus through close contact. They’ve tried to mitigate spread by shutting bars statewide. Some regional attractions, such as Zoo Miami and Jungle Island, have closed. Universal Studios in Orlando is open.
Reopening reverses course in Texas and Florida as coronavirus cases spike .  (Washington Post, 6/26/2020)
In Washington, Vice President Pence attempted to put a positive spin on the situation, claiming “remarkable progress” despite a surge in cases. “ 
As we stand here today, all 50 states and territories across the country are opening up, and safely and responsibly,” Pence said. 
At the same time, Abbott and DeSantis announced they would reverse course. The governors — both prominent supporters of Trump — had moved swiftly to lift lockdowns, even as some local leaders pleaded with them to keep restrictions in place.
Coronavirus cases spike in Florida as Trump preps for convention in state.  (ABC News, 6/13/2020)
Rebekah Jones was fired last month from her job at the Florida Department of Health, where she helped create a data portal about the state's COVID-19 cases. Now, she has created a dashboard of her own. 
In some ways, Jones' new portal for Florida coronavirus data looks a lot like the state health department's. But it has a few key differences that reflect just how contentious coronavirus data has become amid politicized arguments about whether it's safe for states to reopen. 
Case in point: Jones' dashboard has a map that shows which Florida counties are ready for the next phase of reopening. By her calculations, only two of the state's 67 counties at the moment meet the state's criteria for further easing restrictions.

Florida reports more than 1,000 coronavirus cases for the fifth day in a row.  (Tampa Bay Times, 6/7/2020) 

In another measure of the coronavirus’ impact, the Department of Health reported that 10,942 people have been hospitalized statewide for treatment of the COVID-19 infection since March 1. That’s an additional 51 hospitalizations since Saturday, raising the overall count to 10,942. 
More than half of the positive COVID-19 cases being tracked by state health officials are in South Florida, with Miami-Dade County continuing to lead the state in both numbers of confirmed cases and coronavirus-related deaths. According to state data, the number of people infected in Miami-Dade has increased to 19,547 and the virus has claimed as many 765 lives.
After reopening, Florida hasn’t seen a spike in coronavirus cases. Are we in the clear?   (Tampa Bay Times, 5/29/2020)

“As mobility increased, we haven’t seen a spike in daily infections like we would have expected to see right now,” said Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington. “We are puzzled by it.”
Early signs offer hope that Floridians are acting carefully as they return to public life, health specialists say, but they also warn it’s too early to draw firm conclusions. A surge remains possible, especially as people grow more comfortable and potentially complacent.
“It’s like a smoldering fire and when the conditions are ripe, it just takes off,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, director of the Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice at the University of South Florida. “A second wave isn’t something that happens right away.” 
Coronavirus hot spots erupt across the country; experts warn of second wave in South.  (Washington Post, 5/20/2020)
Florida's Complete Phase 1 Reopening Happens As COVID-19 Cases Rise .  (NPR, 5/18/2020)


Related posts:
Alabama.  (2/1/2021)
Arizona.  (2/1/2021)
Arkansas.  (2/4/2021)
California.  (2/7/2021)
Connecticut.  (8/21/2020)
Florida.  (2/15/2021)
Georgia.  (2/1/2021)
Idaho.  (2/7/2021)
Illinois.  (2/2/2021)
Indiana.  (2/6/2021)
Iowa.  (2/6/2021)
Kansas.  (2/4/2021)
Kentucky.  (2/4/2021)
Louisiana.  (2/6/2021)
Maryland.  (1/27/2021)
Massachusetts.  (2/2/2021)
Michigan.  (2/2/2021)
Minnesota.  (2/4/2021)
Mississippi.  (2/1/2021)
Montana. (2/5/2021)
Nebraska.  (2/4/2021)
Nevada.  (2/3/2021)
New Jersey,  (2/2/2021)
New York.  (2/2/2021)
North Carolina.  (2/7/2021)
North Dakota.  (2/7/2021)
Ohio.  (2/6/2021)
Pennsylvania.  (2/2/2021)
South Carolina.  (2/5/2021)
South Dakota.  (2/4/2021)
Tennessee.  (2/5/2021)
Texas   (2/6/2021)
Utah.  (2/3/2021)
Virginia.  (1/22/2021)
Washington State.  (6/12/2020)
West Virginia.  (2/3/2021)




Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (5/4/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/27/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/27/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/24/2020)

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Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/20/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/18/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/16/2020)
Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/14/2020)



Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/12/2020)


Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/10/2020)

Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/9/2020)


Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/8/2020)


Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/7/2020)


Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/6/2020)


Screenshot of Tampa Bay Times headlines (4/5/2020)
(text box, arrow, highlight added; link to article)


Related reading:
For most Florida hotel guests, it’s past checkout time. But not for DeSantis’ top donor.  
Miami Herald, 4/2/2020)
Kenneth Griffin, the 38th-richest American and the biggest backer of DeSantis’ 2018 gubernatorial campaign, has quietly flown in traders and staff from New York and Chicago to set up shop with him in the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the arrangement. 

Too little, too late?

Florida has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order amid coronavirus crisis. Some support Gov. Ron DeSantis' approach. Others don't.   (USA Today, 3/31/2020)
Until we do more widespread community testing, we won’t really know who has been exposed,” [Dr. Marissa] Levine [professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida at Tampa] said. From her standpoint, she said, the governor should set restrictions across the state. “From a public health standpoint, there is no question that the earlier you do it the better.” 
Florida’s large senior population, the age group hit hardest by COVID-19, is another reason to go to a statewide lockdown, Levine added. A stay-at-home order would signal to people, even in counties with few or no cases, that people need to change their normal behavior. 
“When you don’t have such an order in place, I worry people may not be as cautious or [not] go about their hand-washing and social distancing,” Levine said.  

‘It’s catastrophic.’ Coronavirus forces Florida farmers to scrap food they can’t sell.  (Miami Herald, 3/31/2020)
The total shutdown of the hospitality industry, to stem the spread of the coronavirus, means farmers who grew crops intended for everyone from small, independent restaurants to busy hotels are stuck with millions of pounds of produce that will soon be left to die on the vine. And even food banks, soup kitchens and rescue missions, which have seen a surge of unemployed workers making hours-long lines for boxes of donated fresh fruits and vegetables, are saturated with farm donations. 

News from the Trump fanboy front:
Florida governor blocks Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times from coronavirus press conference.  (Miami Herald, 3/28/2020)

Related reading:
Will spring breakers become super-spreaders?  (Politico, 3/21/2020)
For much of this week, revelers continued to cram four and five to a hotel room, swarm beaches over hundreds of miles of coastline, and then gather shoulder-to-shoulder in bars and clubs – almost a model process for spreading contagious diseases.
University of Tampa says students on spring break together tested positive for COVID-19.  (Miami Herald, 3/22/2020)
The University of Tampa announced Saturday that it was the latest Florida college or university touched by the coronavirus pandemic via five students who tested positive for COVID-19. 
The school’s Saturday evening Twitter posting said the students had been on Spring Break together with other schoolmates. What the post didn’t say was where the students went on Spring Break or where they lived on or off campus.
While the world partied some places prepared. Will their coronavirus gamble pay off?  (Miami Herald, 3/26/2020)
While spring-breakers were still cramming South Beach bars earlier this month, Puerto Rico’s government was trying to turn the tourism-dependent island into an inhospitable fortress.


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