Florida COVID-19 cases steady ahead of Thanksgiving, but RSV and flu add to concern

Ahead of a busy Thanksgiving travel season, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have remained relatively steady in Florida — but that’s no guarantee they will stay that way.

There were 23,486 new coronavirus cases recorded over the last two weeks among Florida residents, bringing the cumulative total to 7,195,943. With 334 more fatalities on record, 82,875 Florida residents have died, according to the Florida Department of Health’s bi-weekly report.

The number of cases over the last two weeks stayed nearly the same compared to the 23,157 reported in the two weeks prior. Positivity increased from 7.8% to 8%.

These numbers may seem low, but there’s a risk of hospitals getting overwhelmed by a spike in COVID-19 cases, respiratory syncytial virus and the flu, said Vincent Hsu, an AdventHealth Orlando infectious disease specialist.

“This season is unique in so far that we are not just looking at one specific virus,” Hsu said. “I am very concerned that we are going to see a mixture of viruses that could cause, in some patients, severe illnesses and could cause our hospitals to be filled to capacity and even more.”

AdventHealth Orlando is seeing a higher positivity rate for flu than during the week of Thanksgiving in years past, Hsu added.

Based on what he’s seen so far, he said he’s concerned the flu may even wind up putting more people in the hospital than COVID-19, but that could change, particularly as new “sister variants” of omicron, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, take over.

On Friday, they accounted for 49.7% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s variant tracker.

These variants appear more transmissible but not more severe than past variants, Hsu said.

“We have not seen at this point a significant increase in hospitalizations due to COVID, despite the fact that we’ve seen more of these variants, so that’s good news — although it could change later on,” Hsu said.

He recommends a flu shot and COVID-19 booster alongside other protective measures this Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Measures like mask-wearing and COVID-19 testing should be done if family members are at risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 or the flu, he said. This group includes immunocompromised people and the elderly: more than 81% of COVID-19 deaths occur in people over age 65, according to the CDC.

“Everyone needs to do what we call a self-assessment, understand their risks,” Hsu said.

Meanwhile, Central Florida isn’t seeing the same dramatic spike of RSV — a normally mild illness that can be severe in very young or old people — as other parts of the country.

But more kids are coming into Nemours Children’s hospital with respiratory illnesses in general, said Dr. Daniel Podberesky, chief medical officer of Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida.

“While there is no vaccine for RSV, we recommend that parents get their children vaccinated for several other respiratory illnesses similar to RSV, such as influenza and COVID-19,” he said over email. “We also recommend preventative measures like frequent handwashing, maintaining social distance, wearing a face mask that covers both your nose and mouth, and staying home when sick.”

On Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m., Nemours Children’s Health is hosting a public webinar on how parents can prevent flu, RSV and COVID-19 and what to do if their child gets sick. Register in advance online to attend.

Only 11.3% of Americans over 5 have gotten the most recent COVID-19 bivalent booster dose, according to Monday CDC data.

Statewide, 16,074,034 residents, or 72% of people age 6 months and up, have received at least one vaccination shot, including 7,775,850 who have completed their shot regimens but not received an additional dose through Nov. 17. Meanwhile, 37,619 received an additional dose this week, bringing the total to 6,092,726.

Across the state, 1,231 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 from Nov. 9 to 15, according to the latest White House report. In comparison, 1,220 were hospitalized two weeks ago. Four weeks ago, it was 1,253.

Central Florida added 4,276 resident infections over the last two weeks, based on the actual date the state opened the case, for a total of 1,412,928: 1,189 more in Orange for 456,614; 402 more in Osceola for 137,902; 848 more in Polk for 248,053; 328 more in Lake for 103,985; 140 more in Sumter for 28,296; 473 more in Volusia for 143,834; 520 more in Brevard for 167,445; and 376 more in Seminole for 126,799.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported the incorrect day of the Nemours Children’s Health webinar.

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