'Centaurus,' more COVID variants seep into Florida

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.

Florida’s official COVID case counts continued to fall for the sixth straight week, but we're starting to see a rise of infections in some of the biggest urban areas — Miami, Orlando and Tampa Bay — as more viral mutations enter the state.

Along with BA.4 and BA.5. now we have another potentially contagious subvariant, BA.2.75, nicknamed “centaurus,” which has been reported in Florida since at least mid-August. Plus, the BA.4.6 subvariant continues to gain ground across the southeastern United States.

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. 26 report from the Sept. 9 one, we get:

• New COVID-19 cases in the previous two weeks: 67, 673

• Total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began: 7,066,234 (7,108,060 per Johns Hopkins)

• New COVID-19 deaths in the previous two weeks: 813

• Total COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began: 80,386

• Last week's testing positivity: State report: 12.4%, Johns Hopkins: 14.89%

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)

ALSO IN THE NEWS: 10.5 million children were orphaned or lost a primary caregiver due to COVID, according to a new study; here's how a camp is helping kids cope with death after COVID; and the COVID vaccine may finally have reached annual flu shot status, although providers report dozens of errors giving Pfizer's COVID vaccine (for USA TODAY subscribers).

FROM MULTIPLE READERS: "Where will the new boosters be available in [fill-in-name] county?" Millions of doses of the new COVID booster targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 variants have already been shipped, with more coming. CVS says they have it at select locations so call your local place and check first, or use their online scheduling. Walgreens just says they have it. Publix reminds everyone that supply is limited but you can check their site for available appointments. The Florida Department of Health website has not yet updated with any new booster information.

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 and the new booster shot that targets it.

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

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 'Centaurus,' more COVID variants seep into Florida