You are on page 1of 4

5/9/2021 Florida reports more than 10,000 COVID-19 variant cases, surge after spring break - ABC News

VIDEO LIVE SHOWS C O R O N AV I R U S LOG IN

Florida reports more than Top Stories

10,000 COVID-19 variant cases, Florida reports more than


10,000 COVID-19 variant cases
surge after spring break May 09, 8:04 AM

243 have been hospitalized with variants and 67 have died. Chinese rocket back on Earth
3 hours ago
By Marlene Lenthang
9 May 2021, 08:04 • 5 min read
On Location: May 7, 2021
May 07, 5:45 PM

Times Square gun victim: I


screamed 'I don't want to die'


25 minutes ago

Chinese rocket updates: Debris


splashes down in Indian Ocean
May 09, 12:57 AM


3:04
00:00 / 03:05     
ABC News Live
On Location: May 7, 2021
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.

Variant COVID-19 infections skyrocketed following spring


break in Florida and there have been more than 10,000
variant cases reported throughout the state, the South
Florida Sun Sentinel reported based on data from the
Florida Department of Health. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events

A total of 753 variant cases from three strains -- the B.1.1.7,


the P.1, and the B. 1.3.5.1. -- were reported on March 14,
according to variant infection data shared with ABC News.
The Florida Department of Health does not disclose
variant cases on its public dashboard.

That number swelled to 5,177 cases from five types of


variants on April 15. Just two weeks later, the number of
variant infections exploded to 9,248 on April 27, according
to local ABC affiliate , WFTV.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-reports-10000-covid-19-variant-cases-surge/story?id=77553100 1/4
5/9/2021 Florida reports more than 10,000 COVID-19 variant cases, surge after spring break - ABC News

The surge falls in line with mid-March into April spring


break celebrations, when college students and vacationers
flock to the sunshine state.

Florida is home to the most variant COVID-19 cases in the


country. State health officials reported more than 11,800
cases of COVID-19 variants on Wednesday, according to
the Sun Sentinel.

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters, FILE


Critical care workers insert an endotracheal tube into a coronavirus disease positive
patient in th... Read More

In total, variants have led to the hospitalization of 243


residents and the death of 67 people in Florida, the Sun
Sentinel reported.

Only 1% of all COVID-19 cases in Florida undergo testing to


study their genetic coding, meaning the number of variant
infections is likely much higher than reported.

The data regarding variants was first released Monday


hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the lift of all
local COVID-19 restrictions.

MORE: Florida officials denounce Gov. Ron DeSantis' lifting


of COVID-19 restrictions
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-reports-10000-covid-19-variant-cases-surge/story?id=77553100 2/4
5/9/2021 Florida reports more than 10,000 COVID-19 variant cases, surge after spring break - ABC News

The Florida Department of Health released the data as a


part of a legal settlement with the Orlando Sentinel after
the paper sued in March to obtain a county breakdown of
variant cases. A judge ended up agreeing with the paper’s
claim that the data was vital “to understand how the virus
continues to spread and affect Floridians.”

Paul Hennessy/Polaris

People enjoy the beach, March 24, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla.

As vaccinations across the country slow, there are


concerns over the threat of highly transmissible variants.
In Florida, the B.1.1.7. variant, which first emerged in the
United Kingdom in December, makes up the highest
number of variant cases. There are also several reports of
the South African and Brazilian variants.

As of May 1, Miami-Dade County led the state with 2,279


variant cases, followed by Broward County with 1,950
variant cases, the Sun Sentinel reported.

While variants seem to be gaining traction, overall COVID-


19 cases in the Sunshine State are slowing. Health officials
reported a 4.67% COVID-19 positivity rate on Friday -- the
second day in a row that it has dipped below 5%, per state
data.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-reports-10000-covid-19-variant-cases-surge/story?id=77553100 3/4
5/9/2021 Florida reports more than 10,000 COVID-19 variant cases, surge after spring break - ABC News

MORE: Private Florida school won't employ vaccinated


teachers

Now doctors are warning the public to stay vigilant and get
vaccinated to prevent cases from going back up.

Dr. Bernard Ashby, a Miami-based cardiologist who has


worked in the front lines of the pandemic, is warning of
the dangers of the variants, especially in populous areas.

"If you look at the county breakdown, Miami-Dade leads


the state in the variants followed by Broward County. And
we've led in infections rates in general," Ashby told ABC
News. "What's interesting is the degree to much the
counties dominated ... [those counties] essentially account
for almost 40% of the variants in the state that's out there."

"It's hard to ignore that we are essentially open for


business," he said noting DeSantis' lift of COVID-19
restrictions this week. "Now we're seeing this little
explosion."

Comments (1556)

ABC News Network Privacy Policy Your CA Privacy Rights Children's Online Privacy Policy Interest-Based Ads
About Nielsen Measurement Terms of Use Do Not Sell My Info Contact Us
Copyright © 2021 ABC News Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-reports-10000-covid-19-variant-cases-surge/story?id=77553100 4/4

You might also like