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More than 110,000 positive COVID-19 cases were recorded in Florida in the past week, state data shows.
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That figure represents a spike of more than 50% compared to the last week.
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The surges have become so drastic that one out of every five cases in the US now comes from Florida.
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In just the past week, confirmed coronavirus cases in Florida spiked by more than 50%, according to state health data.
The Florida Department of Health said in a recent report that it recorded more than 110,000 new cases from June 23 to June 29. In the week prior, there were about 73,000 cases reported.
For weeks, Florida has marked continuous surges in the number of positive coronavirus cases. The counts have risen so much that one out of every five coronavirus cases in the United States now comes from Florida.
Amid the rise in cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly criticized mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which last week urged vaccinated people to now wear face coverings indoors.
On Friday, DeSantis signed an executive order that barred schools from mandating kids wear masks.
“The federal government has no right to tell parents that in order for their kids to attend school in person, they must be forced to wear a mask all day, every day,” he said.
DeSantis brought the point home during a press conference, saying both he and his wife are “not going to do the mask with the kids.”
At the same time as the spike in cases in the past week, vaccinations also shot up, increasing by about 15%, state health data shows. About 50% of Florida’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Weekly case counts in Florida are beginning to match some of the worst weeks for the state in the history of the coronavirus pandemic. State data shows that the new coronavirus cases in the past week either match or surpass the rate in January – before vaccines were widely available.
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