(CN) — Sitting on a stool at a crowded restaurant on Florida’s Gulf Coast, John Gonzalez sipped a beer on his lunch break.
“No, I don’t even have one in my car anymore,” the 44-year-old responded to a reporter’s question about wearing a mask indoors amid a rise in Covid-19 cases across the state. “I’m vaccinated, but they don’t require one inside anymore anyway.”
Unlike several states that only recently ended Covid-19 restrictions, Floridians like Gonzalez have experienced the return to the pre-pandemic normal — no mask mandates or social distancing requirements — since early spring.
But some local leaders and health experts worry that the new delta variant of the coronavirus currently sweeping the country could walk back gains made since vaccines became available early this year.
Florida has the highest number of new coronavirus cases in a seven-day period of any state, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recorded more than 39,300 new cases in Florida over the last week, far surpassing the 12,457 new cases in Missouri, which has the second highest number.
Statistics from the Florida Department of Health paint a bleaker picture: 45,604 new cases in the last week — an increase of 93% from the week prior.
The Sunshine State accounts for about 20% of the nation’s new coronavirus infections, White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said during a Friday briefing.
Zients said the trend will likely continue, primarily in “communities with lower vaccination rates.”
“We’re seeing it in the data — unvaccinated Americans account for virtually all recent Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths,” Zients added.
Florida Department of Health records show 59% of Floridians aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, compared to the nation’s average of 68%.
That places the state in the middle of the country for vaccination rates, yet the virus is spreading rapidly among Florida’s population, fueled by the highly contagious nature of the new delta variant and those reluctant to receive a vaccination.
In an email to Courthouse News, a spokesperson for the agency noted that less than 6% of all infections in the last month were found in vaccinated Floridians.
“Florida is in a much better place than we were before the vaccine was deployed,” the spokesperson said, adding total cases decreased by 83% since December 2020.
“Additionally, we’ve implemented innovative outreach solutions as a result of the governor’s dedication to protecting Floridians,” the spokesperson said, including door-to-door canvassing and statewide campaigns through radio stations and social media.
Governor Ron DeSantis has consistently urged Floridians to get a vaccine, while also aggressively pushing back against coronavirus-related restrictions.
In May, the Republican governor lifted all Covid-19 regulations imposed by counties and cities, and signed a bill prohibiting the enforcement of local ordinances put in place during the pandemic, such as mask mandates. He also banned businesses from requiring so-called “vaccine passports,” a move that angered the state’s cruise industry.
A political action committee for the governor’s reelection campaign took it one step further this week by releasing a line of merchandise criticizing face masks and White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“How the hell am I going to be able to drink a beer with a mask on,” reads a koozie sold on the PAC’s website next to a “Don’t Fauci my Florida” T-shirt.
DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, said the governor has “ruled out Covid lockdowns and mask mandates.”
“He makes data-driven decisions, and the empirical evidence does not show that these measures make a statistically significant difference,” she said in an email. “In fact, Florida’s Covid-19 death rate throughout the pandemic has been lower than the national average, despite the fact that our state has been open for more than a year, while states like New York remained on lockdown for the entire year and mandated masks — yet had much higher death rates than Florida.”
Yet, the current surge in coronavirus cases has some local leaders considering virus mitigation measures.
Earlier this week in Orange County, home to Orlando and Disney World, the county’s mayor said he “strongly recommends” residents continue wearing masks indoors and in crowded areas, even if vaccinated. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings did not rule out the option of a mask mandate, notwithstanding state law.
“It is possible,” Demings said, noting the law only takes away a local government’s ability to impose fines.
“I’m not at the point where I want to reinstitute a mandate,” he said. “This is a strong recommendation at this time.”
Florida’s Covid-19 cases will undoubtedly increase in the short term, said Dr. Thomas Unnasch, co-director of the University of Florida’s Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research.
“I think it’s going to get a whole lot worse,” Unnasch said by phone. “I’m kind of freaking out right now.”
Since last summer, Unnasch tracked the number of coronavirus cases in the state and recently observed new infections are doubling every 6.5 days. The Tampa-based professor predicts a swell of cases over the next month rivaling the beginning of the pandemic.
“At this rate, [the virus] is going to burn though the population that is susceptible in a few weeks,” Unnasch said. “There is going to be a lot of people out there who are unvaccinated and basically making the choice that they are going to get this thing. I’m not really sure we can stop it at this point of time, at the rate that it’s growing.”
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