The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Northeast Florida’s six-county area a COVID-19 hotspot, an area where the virus is spreading rapidly.
The more transmissible delta variant is taking hold in counties with low vaccination rates like Baker, which saw a 267% increase in cases over the past two weeks.
UF Health Jacksonville director of Infection Prevention Chad Neilsen said Wednesday on WJCT's First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross that his hospital’s COVID-19 ward is seeing a 10% to 15% rise in admissions per day.
Neilsen added it’s the unvaccinated who are showing up in emergency rooms: “Our hospital at the northside of town near the airport is filled with patients from Northeast Florida, particularly around the Florida-Georgia line, because these are low-vaccine counties and they’re just pouring into our hospitals.”
Northeast Florida hospitals are working as a coalition to seek federal grant funding to urge vaccinations in the area.
Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.
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