Cases down, deaths up, tests running out, Paxlovid questioned and more

C. A. Bridges, Fort Myers News-Press
·3 min read

Welcome to today's edition of the Florida Coronavirus Watch Newsletter, which comes out once a week on Mondays with alerts for breaking COVID-19 news.

Most signs continue to show the latest coronavirus wave receding across Florida (but not everywhere). And weekly death numbers are still rising, as fatalities can take weeks to process and enter official statistics.

The numbers from COVID-19 hospitalizations, case counts and most sewage readings have declined in the past week, continuing a trend that started late last month.

BIWEEKLY UPDATE: Unlike most states which report coronavirus data directly to the public multiple times a week or daily, Florida reports every other week with the summary only listing the increase for the previous seven days, entirely skipping a week of data. State reports include only Florida residents and not visitors for cases and deaths, but do include visitors for vaccination totals.

Subtracting the state's Aug. 12 report from the Aug. 26 one, we get:

  • New COVID-19 cases in the previous two weeks: 89,145

  • Total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began: 6,998,561 (7,041,916 per Johns Hopkins)

  • New COVID-19 deaths in the previous two weeks: 1,014

  • Total COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began: 79,573

  • Last week's testing positivity: State report: 16.2%, Johns Hopkins: 18.25%

In the latest week COVID-19 cases in Florida were about 4.1 times what the CDC says is a high level of community transmission. A Sunday report said the state had 3,241 COVID-19 patients in hospital beds, from 3,647 a week earlier.

State death counts from COVID-19 tend to get updated and revised so that number may not reflect actual deaths occurring in that time period. Sources: Florida Department of Health COVID report, U.S. Health and Human Services (hospitalizations)

STILL NEED AT-HOME COVID TESTS? Because Congress has not approved funding to replenish the nation's stockpile, free tests will no longer be available through COVIDTests.gov as of Friday, Sept. 2 so get your orders in now if you haven't requested all you're entitled to. They'll still be available through federally supported community programs and people still can get reimbursed for them through private and public health plans.

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Pfizer's COVID pill (Paxlovid) helps high-risk seniors but may not do much for younger adults, according to a new study; Moderna sued Pfizer and BioNTech for using mRNA technology in their COVID-19 vaccine; and a new survey says 84% of parents learned more about their kids' education during the COVID pandemic.

FROM A READER: "My husband just tested positive on a home test. I have been doing research online and the CDC website said that Paxlovid was a treatment for immunocompromised people, but it is in short supply. What is the availability of this drug in South Florida?" It's out there, but you may need to hunt for it. Paxlovid is prescription-only, but because of the need for speed in using it, the FDA authorized pharmacists to prescribe it. You can get it at CVS MinuteClinics and Walgreens and some Publix locations (the Florida Department of Health has a treatment location map), but you might want to call your local place first to make sure it's available.

However, if your husband is under 65 Paxlovid may or may not have any effect, if a new study from India is accurate.

Anything you'd like to know? Send us your questions.

COVID INFO: See our COVID-19 resource guide here. Compare the spread of COVID-19 in your area here. Here's how to tell if you have the flu, a cold, or COVID-19, and all about the tests. Here's what to do if you test positive for COVID, and what we know about long COVID. And here's what you need to know about the aggressively-contagious BA.5 "ninja" variant.

Thank you for reading! We appreciate you trusting our statewide journalists to keep you safe and informed. If you are encouraged by our work and want to support your local journalists, please consider subscribing. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Forward this email so they can sign up.

— C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY - Florida Network DOT Producer

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cases down, deaths up, tests running out, Paxlovid questioned and more