Improvement in COVID-19 case rates on the Space Coast stalls. Is a new wave coming?
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The improvement in COVID-19 case rates that the Space Coast has experienced over the last weeks has stagnated, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health on Friday, as vaccination rates in Brevard County have only increased by 1%.
In mid-August after weeks of the case rate per 100,000 being in the 700's, COVID-19 cases started decreasing on the Space Coast. Between Sept.10 and Sept. 23, cases went down by 43%.
As caseloads dropped, the impact was felt countywide. Hospitalizations went down. COVID-19 related deaths decreased, and the county's Emergency Management Department halted it's weekly meetings to update the public.
"As those numbers increase we ramp up the number of updates we provide, going from once a month to once a week," said Don Walker, Brevard County Communications Director, at the last Emergency County Government held on Oct.8.
However, between Nov. 12 and Nov. 18, there were 37.1 cases per 100,000, a decrease of .2 cases per 100,000 since the prior week; making for a 0% decrease in the case rate. The new case positivity rate also experienced no change since the week prior, and remains at 2.4%. This lack of change could be an indicator that cases might increase again in Brevard County.
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The stagnation in the decrease of case rates on the Space Coast parallels national trends. As cases increase nationwide, experts are warning that not enough people are vaccinated yet to warrant not social distancing and masking up.
"There's still a lot of folks out there that are unvaccinated and have not had the disease. So when you're looking at you know, probably at least a good third of the population, at least a good third of the population still in that category, there's enough people to sustain this virus" John Davis, community health nursing director at FDOH-Brevard said in an interview with FLORIDA TODAY.
Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention transmission level guidelines, Brevard County remains a community of moderate transmission.
A community of moderate transmission is one where there are between 10 and 50 cases per 100,000 people and the case positivity rate is between 5% and 8%, according to the CDC. To be a community of low transmission, Brevard County would need to have a new case positivity rate below 5% and have less than 10 cases per 100,000.
The COVID-19 case positivity rate and cases per 100,000 are the two measures used to evaluate how much the virus is spreading in a community.
Between Nov.6 and Nov.13, the Space Coast had four COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the death toll up to 1,696 since the start of the pandemic, according to data released by the CDC on Nov.17.
Only 65% of Brevard County's eligible population— those ages 5 years-of-age and older— is vaccinated.
According to FDOH, of the eligible population in Florida, age group vaccination rates across the state are:
Ages 5-11, 6% vaccinated
Ages 12-19, 56%vaccinated.
Ages 20-29, 57% vaccinated.
Ages 30-39, 66% vaccinated.
Ages 40-49, 74% vaccinated.
Ages 50-59, 79% vaccinated.
Ages 60-64, 86% vaccinated.
Ages 65+, 88% vaccinated.
About 11% of Floridians have received an additional dose as of Nov.18.
Statewide, there were 49.3 cases per 100,000 and a new case positivity rate of 2.5% between Nov.12 and Nov.18.
There were 384 COVID-19 related deaths in Florida between Nov.12 and Nov.18. Since the start of the pandemic, Florida has had a total of 61,081 COVID-19 related deaths.
Only 58.9% of Americans are fully vaccinated, and 16.6% of the eligible population has received a booster dose, according to CDC data.
Across the US, there have been 47,352,367 COVID-19 cases and 764,473 COVID-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Where to get the Monoclonal Antibody treatment:
Brevard County is providing Monoclonal Antibody treatment for free at the following location:
Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium, 951 Kiwanis Island Park Road, Merritt Island, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where can children get vaccinated? COVID-19 vaccines for ages 5 through 11 now available in Brevard County
Where to get vaccinated:
Florida Department of Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines at three sites:
Melbourne clinic, 601 E. University Blvd., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can only get vaccinated from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Titusville clinic, 611 N. Singleton Ave., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can only get vaccinated from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Viera clinic, 2555 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Those ages 5-11 can only get vaccinated from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday.
COVID-19 vaccines also are available at pharmacies at various local CVS, Publix, Sam’s Club, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie stores, as well as some urgent-care centers and physician offices.
The website www.211Brevard.org has a list of medical facilities and businesses offering vaccines. Some of those sites require reservations, while others allow walk-ins.
Amira Sweilem is the data reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Sweilem at 386-406-5648 or asweilem@floridatoday.com.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard County COVID cases stagnate, raising concerns of new surge
