Surging COVID19 Cases in NYC Impact Kids Most; Florida Residents Rush to Get Vaxxed On Xmas Day As Cases Hit New Highs
The spiraling coronavirus outbreak numbers in New York State and Florida are having a serious impact on both states amid new warnings of a disturbing rise in pediatric hospitalizations, particularly of unvaccinated children.
A health advisory said the quadruple increase in admissions that began the week of December 5th is concentrated in New York City and the surrounding boroughs, where the highly contagious Omicron variant was spreading rapidly.
Even as the state touts a high vaccination rate among adults, the New York State Department of Health’s warning Friday of a “striking increase” in new hospital admissions for children was being publicized a day later as many coronavirus testing centers in New York City were closed for Christmas. The Health Department advised that parents should protect children who are 5 and older by getting them fully vaccinated. Children under 5 are only protected by ensuring those around them have been vaccinated and gotten boosters while adhering to other protective measures including mask-wearing, avoiding crowds, and regular testing.
New York Times: “Beginning the week of Dec. 5 through the current week, there has been a fourfold increase in Covid hospital admissions among children in New York City… About half were under the age of 5, and not eligible for vaccination.” https://t.co/fi30vNpP2L pic.twitter.com/MaJZAly9ab
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) December 25, 2021
Meanwhile, Florida hit a new record in the pandemic for the second day in a row as the state reported 32,850 daily new cases on Saturday. Only a day earlier, with 31,758 new daily cases reported, Florida broke its previous record of more than 27,000 cases set in August during the height of the delta wave in Florida. The current surge is being driven by the spreading of the highly contagious omicron variant.
DeSantis has declared victory over COVID-19 on:
4/20/20
4/28/20
5/4/20
5/20/20
9/25/203/2/21
3/8/21
6/4/21
10/14/21
10/28/21
11/27/21Among other dates.
Today, Florida broke its record in new cases which was set yesterday. @removeron
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) December 25, 2021
The exploding number of virus cases created the demand for COVID-19 tests, even on Christmas Day when most people are focused on their own celebrations. To help alleviate demand, county workers distributed 12,500 at-home COVID test kits Friday at Miami-Dade libraries before the supplies ran out.
26,800 new cases of Covid today in Florida as Gov DeSantis fights mask mandates and will not encourage people to get vaccinated. #RonDeathSantis
— Agolf Twitler Slayer (@bblock29) December 23, 2021