COVID hospitalizations are down in Florida but viral loads are up in parts of the state

Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
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Although Florida COVID case counts remain elusive because state health officials no longer report them on a weekly basis to the federal government, hospitals continue to show a disease in decline statewide while sewage shows a spike at a popular Florida tourism destination.

The good news Friday came from the World Health Organization, which declared COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.

The organization had declared a public health emergency of international concern on Jan. 30, 2020, when only 100 cases were reported and the virus had no official name, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a news conference Friday.

More than three years later, the pandemic is on a downward trend, including Florida. Here's the update:

Hospitalizations still declining

714 hospital patients Thursday, the fewest since April 12, 2022. Far fewer than the nearly 3,000 in early January. (Source: U.S. Health and Human Services Department).

WHO declares COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency but still remains a threat
WHO declares COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency but still remains a threat

Viral loads rising in Florida’s most populous area

Wastewater, which reveals coronavirus trends sooner than official case counts, shows viral levels spiking in the county that is home to the Florida Keys.

Test results from Wednesday found 1,311 coronavirus particles per milliliter of sewage in Monroe County, according to Boston-based private laboratory Biobot Analytics. That’s more than six times as many as April 12. Sewage testing from Monroe County started after mid-March.

Test results from Wednesday found 578 viral particles per milliliter in Miami-Dade County sewage, the most since Feb. 8, but 41.5% lower than Jan. 4, during the last big COVID wave.

Viral load is rising also in Palm Beach County. Readings Wednesday found 338 virus particles per milliliter, up 82% from April 12, but 61% less than a six-month high Dec. 28.

Sewage readings from Alachua, Hillsborough, Leon, Orange, Pinellas and Seminole counties continue to show viral loads well below their winter peaks.

Should you mask up indoors? 

The CDC can’t issue indoor masking recommendations in Florida because of lack of data from the state.

Florida vaccination rates still among nation's worst  

  • 30.9% — Floridians 65 and older who have gotten the latest booster*

  • 42.9% — Seniors boosted nationwide**

  • 11.6% — Floridians up to date on shots

  • 16.9% — Americans up to date

More than 7.5 million infected in Florida, which is more than 1 in 3 residents.

* Those 65 and older comprise the vast majority of COVID deaths.

**Only seniors in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee have less protection than those in Florida.

Chris Persaud is The Palm Beach Post's data reporter. Email him at cpersaud@pbpost.com. Click @ChrisMPersaud and follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: COVID-19 no longer a global emergency; Florida's latest case numbers