People fight 'pandemic fatigue' by going out, despite climbing cases
TAMPA, Fla. - The term "pandemic fatigue" has been tossed around a lot lately; meaning people are tired of worrying about the virus and staying in isolation.
Positive COVID-19 cases are soaring across the nation, with 4,500 new cases reported Saturday in the state of Florida.
Many patrons in the South Howard area of Tampa told FOX 13 they need to get out and experience a sense of normalcy despite the increase in cases.
"I'm not going to let it wreck my life, no way, absolutely not, it's not going to hold me down, it's not going to keep me inside, no way," said Rosalie Peed, who was spending time in SOHO with her daughter.
She says she always has a mask and frequently washes her hands; also saying it's worth the risk being out in public.
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4,452 new Florida coronavirus cases reported Saturday; 86 new deaths
The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 4,452 Saturday. According to the state's daily update, the total number of cases in Florida is now 837,077.
"I can't be in my home 24 hours a day, seven days a week; you have get out and live your life," said Scott Barbour, who was also out in SOHO on Saturday.
Barbour says he works from home and is rarely in contact with people. Therefore, he says he feels safe going out in SOHO because, despite the crowds, the bars are outside and he lives a healthy lifestyle.
It is going to take an effective vaccine that is widely distributed for society to get back to "normal."
Medical experts say, even though a vaccine may be available by Thanksgiving, that sense of normality could still take a long time to get to.
“There are 7 billion plus people in this world, only a small fraction of whom are actually immune to the virus right now or have seen it or developed some kind of immune response. It’s going to be here for a while," said Dr. Michael Teng, a professor at the University of South Florida's College of Medicine.
Data from COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials could be available as soon as next week. That data will show medical experts if the latest vaccine attempt is effective or not.