Weekly COVID cases have been steadily rising in the sunshine state over the past three weeks, with a 24 percent increase from the week of November 26th to the week of December 3rd alone.<\/div>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>13,530 COVID cases were reported last week.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It\u2019s minuscule compared to this summer when the state was racking up more than 20,000 cases a day, but epidemiologists say it is something to keep an eye on.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe uptick in cases is not necessarily unexpected,\u201d said Dr. Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida.<\/div>\n<div>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-72715 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000003\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000003-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000003-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000003-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000003.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000001\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000001-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000001-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000001-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000001.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>Last year, the state\u2019s winter surge was worse than the 2020 summer spike, but Dr. Prins doesn\u2019t expect a repeat this winter.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThis year we have the benefit of vaccines. So I don’t expect our winter spike to be quite as high,\u201d said Dr. Prins.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>USF epidemiologist Dr. Jason Salemi points out Florida currently has some of the lowest infection and hospitalization rates in the country.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cWe’re 4th lowest in the country on new hospitalization rates,\u201d said Dr. Salemi.<\/div>\n<div>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-72715 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000006\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000006-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000006-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000006-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000006.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000009\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000009-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000009-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000009-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000009.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000008\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000008-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000008-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000008-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000008.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>But Dr. Salemi notes it\u2019s not yet clear how Omicron will play into a potential winter surge.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe early indications are that it’s less likely to cause severe illness, but I think it’s a little too quick to say that definitively,\u201d said Dr. Salemi.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>One thing is clear.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Even if we do see a winter spike, the Governor has no intentions of returning to lockdowns or mandates.<\/div>\n<div>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-72715 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000012\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000012-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000012-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000012-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000012.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000017\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000017-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000017-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000017-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000017.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/ticking-up00000016\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000016-200x113.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000016-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000016-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/ticking-up00000016.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>The experts we spoke with encouraged Floridians to take their own precautions, especially if they are at higher risk for severe disease.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>“Wearing masks and definitely getting vaccinated,\u201d said Dr. Prins.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>According to the state\u2019s latest COVID report, 70 percent of Floridans aged five and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>90 percent of Floridians aged 65 and up have been vaccinated.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Both epidemiologists said people should also consider getting a booster shot if they were vaccinated more than six months ago, especially older Floridans and those with preexisting conditions.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Weekly COVID cases have been steadily rising in the sunshine state over the past three weeks, with a 24 percent increase from the week of November 26th to the week of December 3rd alone. 13,530 COVID cases were reported last week. It\u2019s minuscule compared to this summer when the state was racking up more than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72715"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72735,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72715\/revisions\/72735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.flanews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}