Tampa Bay considered 'high risk' area as COVID-19 cases continue to spike
TAMPA, Fla. - Data from the CDC shows more than half of Florida residents are in communities with "high risk" levels of COVID-19. It's the 10th consecutive week infections have gone up.
Tampa Bay is now considered a "high risk" area by the CDC as of Thursday. While cases have gone up, the death rate and hospitalization rate have remained relatively the same and doctors said that shows people are getting better at dealing with the virus.
With the summer travel season kicking off, more people will now be on the go in groups or at backyard gatherings. At the same time, COVID-19 cases are seeing a steady rise and doctors said people should still make sure they're taking steps to stay safe.
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"We've got this new strain of the virus, which seems to be able to bypass both the vaccine in some cases even people who've had the disease," said Dr. Jay Wolfson, a University of South Florida professor of public health in the College of Medicine. "So we're getting some more cases. The good news is they're not getting as sick."
According to the latest data from the CDC, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, and Sarasota counties, all show high levels of COVID-19. Sarasota County is at the highest showing a rate of 264 new cases per 100,000 people.
When it comes to the hospitalization rate, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco are at the top, averaging 14 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. Dr. Wolfson said the country as a whole has come a long way from where we were two years around this time.
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"We know how to treat the disease. Now, we have a vaccine. We have a lot of interventions that really work that more people are getting the disease means we are getting into what we call an endemic stage where it's kind of like influenza that comes periodically. We're going to be living with it in a way," Dr. Wolfson said.
Going forward, Dr. Wolfson said while cases may fluctuate we won't see the type of hospitalizations and death we did at the beginning of the pandemic. Still, the CDC is recommending masking indoors in any areas with high-risk levels of COVID-19.
"If you're going to be indoors, and you're at high risk, you might want to wear a mask in a place where the air is not flowing really well," Dr. Wolfson said. "The great news about Florida is we can do so much outside, but it really gets down to personal responsibility and common sense at this point."