Is the COVID surge over in Florida? How deadly has this summer been? Should I get the vaccine?

Is COVID-19 surging in Florida?

It was, and it seems to be slowing down. Every summer and into the fall for the last three years the country has seen a rise in COVID cases and this year was no exception. COVID-related hospitalizations have been rising steadily since July, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But while the virus still poses a serious threat, the current wave seems to be milder than previous ones. Hospitalizations and deaths haven't reached anywhere near the numbers from summer outbreaks in 2021 and 2022.

Hospitals statewide tended to 1,785 COVID-positive patients Sept. 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported. The high mark this summer was 1,985 patients on Sept. 5.

Deaths from COVID nationwide and in the state are near their lowest levels since the pandemic began. The Florida Health Department counted 2,235 deaths during the 16 weeks ending Sept. 14. During the 14 weeks ending about the same time last year, the death toll grew by more than 6,000.

Experts say the reduced numbers are likely due to increased immunity from vaccines and, to a degree, previous infections; healthcare practioners who are more aware of how to diagnose and treat symptoms; and because the virus that causes COVID-19 hasn't mutated as much as feared so most healthy people retain some protection. However, the effectiveness of vaccines wanes over time and the CDC recommends staying up to date on boosters.

The FDA recently approved new vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern that target the omicron variant XBB.1.5, which was the variant that was rapidly spreading a few months ago. Early studies suggest they will also be protective against more recent variants such as BA.2.86 (nicknamed Pirola) and EG.5.1 (nicknamed Eris).

How deadly was this summer's COVID surge in Florida?

Statewide deaths and hospitalizations this summer rose, but only to a fraction of what they've been during past outbreaks.

Since the week ending May 25, Florida has seen a reported 205,031 new cases and 2,235 deaths. Note that case counts are unreliable as most people self-diagnose at home.

During roughly the same time period in 2022, between May 20 and Sept. 8 the state reported over a million new cases and 6,056 deaths.

Why does COVID surge back in the summer?

The increases in hospitalizations and deaths could be due to waning immunity among the general population from previous vaccines or infections and from summer travel and students heading back to school, Dr. S. Wesley Long, the medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist, told USA TODAY.

Relaxed protective measures over the past year, including mask-wearing and testing, are also playing a part, Long said.

Should I get the new COVID booster?

The CDC has recommended that everyone over 6 years of age get the new COVID booster for safe, effective protection against serious symptoms and death, with particular emphasis for people who are:

• Still unvaccinated

• 65 or older

• Infants under 6 months

• Pregnant

• Younger than 65 if you have conditions that affect your immune system, or are taking immune-suppressing medications to treat cancer, because of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, or following an organ transplant.

While the current variants seem to cause fewer severe acute infections than previous variants, there is still a risk of long-term effects from COVID. The vaccine reduces your chance of suffering mild-to-debilitating issues from what is known as long COVID, which can develop well after an infection and persist for months or even years.

The number of people affected by long COVID could be more than 10 million people in the U.S., according to Dr. Eric Topol, founder and executive vice president of Scripps Research. Symptoms range in severity, and can include constant fatigue, "brain fog," cardiac issues, neurologic symptoms and others, he said.

"If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past 2 months," the CDC recommended, "get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect yourself this fall and winter."

The new booster is now available in pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS.

Should you get the new COVID vaccine? CDC, DeSantis at odds over new COVID vaccine, in Florida pharmacies soon

Is the COVID vaccine safe?

Current COVID vaccines have been proven safe overall, according to CDC data. There may be short-time side effects.

The CDC did find some cases of myocarditis, a swelling of the heart, largely among older adolescent males and young men and most often after the second booster. However, the cases have been rare and the risk of myocarditis is much higher among people who have contracted COVID.

"'The known risks of COVID-19 illness and its related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death, far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis," the CDC said.

There was also an increased risk for stroke for people over 65 who received both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines last winter. It's not clear if it was a coincidence or caused by the combined vaccines or an increase in COVID-19 infections, CDC officials told the advisory committee last week, and the risk didn't last long.

"To date, hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history," the CDC said in a release.

What is Gov. Ron DeSantis' position on the new vaccine?

When the new vaccine was announced, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo contradicted CDC guidance and said no one under the age of 65 should get the new drug.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, once a strong COVID-19 vaccine promoter who has since made skepticism about the drug's usefulness and dangers a core part of his gubernatorial career and GOP presidential campaign, said in a release, “I will not stand by and let the FDA and CDC use healthy Floridians as guinea pigs for new booster shots that have not been proven to be safe or effective.”

That announcement came as Florida hospitals were reporting more COVID cases than any other state and the total pandemic death toll for the state surpassed 90,000.

Ladapo previously released a study tying COVID-19 vaccines to heart problems in some patients but leading health care experts said the study’s methodology was flawed, and it later was revealed that Ladapo personally edited the study to remove data that contradicted his conclusions.

How many people in Florida have died of COVID?

Since March 2020, 90,740 people have died in Florida of COVID or COVID-related illnesses as of Sept. 14, according to the state, excluding more than 3,000 patients from 2020 that physicians classified as COVID deaths but the state Health Department did not, later discovered by state auditors.

There have been 7,792,934 cases reported.

As of July 23, Florida had the 3rd most COVID cases and deaths of all the U.S. states behind California and Texas.

How many people in Florida have been vaccinated?

There were 16,274,639 people vaccinated in Florida as of Sept. 14, according to the state Department of Health. That would be 72% of the population, but the state counts visitors who get vaccinated here so that percentage may be lower.

Can we stop worrying about COVID?

Not yet, and it seems likely to remain a concern for the foreseeable future. The coronavirus continues to mutate and spread, and, like the flu, some annual booster may be necessary for the long run. COVID remains a serious, potentially fatal danger to immunocompromised people, people over 65 and people with respiratory and heart issues. Long COVID can strike anyone even if they had no symptoms at the time, and doctors are still trying to find ways to fight it. But we seem to be settling into something like a regular preventative schedule.

“I’m less worried than I was last year, and I was less worried last year than I was the year before,” Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Brown University School of Public Health, told the Washington Post. “But I’m aware, and I’m looking and trying to make sure nothing changes.

Contributors: Karen Weintraub, Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: COVID in Florida: Summer brings hospitalizations, deaths, most cases milder