‘We’re going to sound the alarm pretty quickly’ if there’s a spike in COVID-19

jacksonville, florida – COVID-19 cases are up in 90% of the country as temperatures drop this holiday season in Northeast Florida, according to the White House COVID-19 coordinator.

Doctors warn the public to get booster shots, but only about 40% of adults say they plan to do so, according to a new study.

News4JAX on Friday spoke with local doctors about concerns that Americans are letting their guard down against COVID-19.

“If there is a spike, we sound the alarm pretty quickly because we want everyone to be careful,” said David Caro, M.D., an emergency room physician at UF Health Jacksonville.

At UF Health, medical professionals have seen only a modest increase in the number of local COVID-19 cases. Duval County and northeastern Florida are now in less contagious areas, with 90% of his cases in the country increasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Caro said.

States such as Delaware, Massachusetts and Philadelphia will see increases along with Midwestern states such as Kansas and Oklahoma.

Doctors are concerned that the virus is spreading at holiday parties and will spread further among families preparing to travel from state to state.

Health experts are concerned that people in Florida are becoming complacent because the latest COVID-19 variant has not led to an increase in hospital visits and deaths in Florida.

“It can definitely create a false sense of security,” Caro said. “Part of the problem is that, like the flu, there are subspecies of the virus that don’t cause side effects or serious illness until they mutate, and then the effects are much greater and more severe. It has the potential to become

Earlier this week, Biden administration unveils winter COVID-19 readiness planwhich includes:

• Have more medical workers and medical equipment on standby in hospitals and nursing homes

• Urge Americans to Get Latest COVID-19 Boosters

• Announces that families can now order more free COVID-19 tests to be mailed to their homes

But Kallo said it’s hard to know exactly how fast the virus is moving in Florida because most people haven’t tested and quarantined at home and reported their illness to their doctors. .

“We are driven by the scope of testing and how we track it,” says Caro. “The information we particularly rely on is the number of people who have to be hospitalized because of their symptoms.”

Medical experts say the nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases reflects trends Americans have experienced over the past two winters. Only this year, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or respiratory syncytial virus, are as prevalent as COVID-19.

“The final tally tracked five major viruses that were causing significant infections not just in our region but across the country,” Kallo said.

Doctors are urging people to be responsible – don’t go to that Christmas party if you feel sick or have a fever.

News4JAX has confirmed with health officials at Baptist Health that the number of COVID-19 cases also remains low at this time.

To order your free COVID-19 test, call 1-800-232-0233 (the hotline is open 24/7) or order online at: covidtests.gov.