Is the COVID uptick in Florida reaching its peak?
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COVID rates slowing, death rates rising, sewage testing, when you should wear a mask on your flight and more in today's edition of the Florida Coronavirus Watch Newsletter. The newsletter comes out every Monday and Thursday or as urgent news dictates.
Here's what's happening
- Is the COVID uptick in Florida reaching its peak? The latest COVID-19 wave in Florida may be cresting, hospital reports indicate, while the weekly statewide death toll spiked by more than 1,000 residents for the first time in more than three months.
The number of COVID-positive patients statewide grew by 129 last week, the smallest seven-day increase since April 26, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department reported Friday.
Meanwhile, Florida's coronavirus death toll, reported by the CDC, spiked by 1,112 residents from the state Health Department's tally June 19. It's the biggest one-week increase since the week ending March 4.
It can take weeks for victims to make their way into official COVID death statistics. For that reason, waves of newly reported deaths follow waves of new cases and hospitalizations.
But as regular readers of the newsletter know, that's not the only way to look for viral trends. Coronavirus levels have dropped by more than half in the past two weeks in northern Palm Beach County sewage, indicating a decline of the latest wave of infections that has yet to appear in official statistics statewide.
- Moderna's new omicron-targeting COVID vaccine is their 'lead candidate' for a fall booster. The new booster, called mRNA-1273.214, combines the company’s original vaccine with one designed to target the omicron variant. Results from a trial involving 437 people showed the combination booster was more protective against omicron and earlier variants compared to the original vaccine.
- Want to know the best times on your flight to keep your mask on? This USA Today reporter took a CO2 detector with him on a couple of planes to measure ongoing levels of carbon dioxide (an easy proxy for potential COVID-19 exposure) to see what happened. USA Today has the story for its subscribers.
- A fourth COVID-19 vaccine? Maybe. A federal advisory committee recommended earlier this montjh that a fourth COVID-19 vaccine be authorized for use in the USA, this one from Novavax, a company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
What do you want to know about COVID-19? You ask, we'll try to answer
From a reader (edited): "I recently had blood work done a week after recovering from COVID. My cholesterol was 129, usually it runs 159. Any correlation?"
Maybe! There's absolutely no way I could tell you for certain even if I was a doctor (I am definitely not), but studies have found COVID does affect most systems in the body with varying effects, and your body has just changed over to virus-fighting mode which can have effects on it as well. Also, several studies have noticed drops in lipids (triglycerides, LDL, total cholesterol) in some COVID patients, although big changes usually only happen in serious cases. One study suggested LDL levels may be lowered due to acute inflammation, another looked at HDL, which is involved in the regulation of immune cells, and speculated that activity during COVID-19 infection may cause a temporary drop.
Does this mean anything in your specific case? Talk to your doctor. Everyone's health situation is different, and everyone's reaction to COVID infection is different. Only observation and further testing will tell you if your lowered numbers are something that needs to be addressed.
Anything you'd like to know? Ask your questions here.
COVID info center
ABOUT COVID
Free for everyone: Compare the spread of COVID-19 in your area
AVOIDING COVID
TESTING/VACCINES
Is it the flu, a cold, or COVID-19? How to know, and when to get tested
What's the difference between at-home tests, over-the-counter rapid tests, and PCR tests?
What to know about vaccine booster shots | Where to find them in Florida
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Chris' note of the day: Whatever your opinion of the ruling, there's no question that the U.S. Supreme Court decision released Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade and remove the constitutional right to get an abortion made a sweeping change across the country, with far-ranging implications for the future. A great many people have been taking to the streets over the weekend in protest or support. I'm just going to ask that everyone be careful, try to socially distance in high-risk areas and wear your masks in crowded locations. Stay safe.
Here's what else is happening with the coronavirus in Florida today.
— C. A. Bridges, cbridges@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Is the COVID uptick in Florida reaching its peak?
