Memorial Day Weekend is around the corner and the unofficial start of summer and sure enough, we’re seeing the summer wave of COVID-19 as cases in Florida jumped from about 40,000 for the week ending May 12th to 60,000 last week. That’s no where near record territory, but now that we’re in the third year of COVID, we know that the past two years had a big summer surge and then a big winter surge.
The great news is that fatalities from COVID-19 have dropped drastically. That said, as the number of cases go up, inevitably, the number deaths go up as well. The chart below from the Florida Department of Health depicts deaths by week across the State. As you can see, the highest number of deaths occurred last year during the summer surge peaking in late August. However, when the winter surge hit in December, it wasn’t as deadly.
At this point, so many Floridians have been vaccinated and gotten the booster or have caught the virus already that as a population we’re in much better shape than where we were in early 2020. In addition, we know that OMICRON has been more virulent, but less deadly than the early versions of COVID.
The table below is encouraging. When we first started sharing this information from the State of Florida, the Case Fatality Rate for seniors 65 and older was nearly 10%. Now, the Case Fatality Rate has dropped to 7%. Of course, that’s still high for seniors, but way better than a 10% fatality rate. If you’re young, the chances of dying from COVID is only serious for those with underlying conditions.
And folks, be honest with yourself. Are you a little bit heavier in the midsection? It’s no secret that those who are overweight are more likely to succumb to COVID. In other words, it’s important to pay attention to your health. It’s important to exercise and eat good foods.
