Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on Monday said the county is in "crisis mode" over a soaring number of COVID-19 infections.
The county is averaging about 1,000 new coronavirus cases a day according to the latest update from officials. The county reported 1,052 new cases Friday and 960 new cases Saturday.
The county's positivity rate has tripled to 14% from about 4.3% a month ago.
Demings says area hospitals are approaching capacity.
“These numbers are extraordinary," Demings said. "We are seeing nearly 1,000 new cases in Orange County daily. Those are the numbers we saw at the highest peak last year. It took us approximately one month last year before we saw 1,000 cases cumulatively here within Orange County. Now we’re seeing them daily.”
He recommended that residents get vaccinated and wear masks.
Demings also said he is consulting the county’s legal team to determine what actions could be taken to curb the spread.
“This next 24 to 48 hours or so are going to be critical to any decisions that I would make in that regard,” Demings said.
