A bulleted FL COVID update ...... you'll like it.
Later.
- FL had highest one day total for new cases since C-19 pandemic started yesterday. While that's true, I had to find a NYT article to explain why.
- The new case spikes are almost entirely assignable to the migrant farm worker community. The picking season is over in FL and migrant workers are moving north and up the eastern seaboard to start the picking season in those regions.
- Last week, Desantis ordered state PH officials to focus on several counties where farm labor housing is concentrated. Collier Co. (Naples), Hillsboro Co. (Tampa), Hillsboro/Osceola Cos.(Orlando/Kissime)
- % +s in these counties where farm labor housing is located and walk-up test sites were set up ticked in at upwards of 30%! That is driving up overall % + rates.
- Excluding these counties, FL's overall % +s is around the usual 5% with many counties under 2%.
- This isn't about protests, it isn't about beach goers, it isn't about young people going to socialize in FTL's or Miami's or Boca's night spots.
- The last 2d, local news has fretted about hospital bed availability in S. FL. Not a single hospital administrator that was interviewed in one well done, unusually balanced article was worried. "We're in a good spot should we need to increase ICU capacity," was the common refrain. IOW, they're' not anywhere close to being "overwhelmed"
- Farm labor, with many asymptomatic C-19 infections per capita, are moving north. States that they move to for the next picking season are concerned. One of them is NY so is GA and SC
- Some of the migrant labor force consists of undocumented aliens. Some won't come forward to get tested and those that do provide fictitious names and addresses making it impossible for PH authorities to contact trace.
- There are upticks in S. FL's tri-counties with Palm Beach Co. seeing the highest at 9% +s. Broward and Miami-Dade are around 7% so, re-opening is accounting for some increases but not as bad as the media would have you believe. Reporting new case #s continues to be misleading without context.
- As a result of the state wide increases, Desantis ordered that all long term care facilities will require 2X/week testing of residents and staff. Makes good sense. Protect the vulnerable.
Later.
Comment