As Florida remains open and almost all COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, the White House delivered sobering news to the Sunshine State last Friday. Some twenty percent of all new COVID-19 infections in the United States are in Florida.
Steve Geller, the Mayor of Broward County, which has the second-highest COVID-19 cases in the state, registered his concern about the spike in cases at a recent press briefing. He says Broward County is now in the danger zone.
“On June 1st, we were at 5.1 cases per 100,000 population. By July 15th, it was 36.9. These numbers are increasing geometrically. We are absolutely in a danger zone right now,” he said.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Broward County are also on the rise. According to Mayor Geller, most of the hospitalizations are among the county’s unvaccinated residents. He said vaccine hesitancy and misinformation on the internet are still threatening Florida’s quest to herd immunity.
The Mayor also speculated whether or not foreign interests may be behind spreading fake news about COVID-19 in the United States.
“I have no knowledge that what I’m about to say is true. This is rampant speculation on my part. But the misinformation on the internet is so bad and so prevalent, I’m starting to question whether that can happen by accident. I’m wondering whether this is not another foreign nation trying to intentionally damage this country. Because I don’t know what else could explain the amount of bold-face lies on the internet,” he said.
Some 67 percent of Broward County’s eligible population have already been vaccinated. The Mayor appealed to the remaining unvaccinated residents to protect themselves from the virus by taking the shot.
