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Orange County says COVID-19 numbers not trending in the right direction
Orange County leaders say there's been an uptick in COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant could be to blame.
ORLANDO, Fla. - At a press briefing Wednesday morning, leaders in Orange County revealed new data on COVID-19 cases trending upward in the county.
"We are still not yet out of the woods as it relates to our response and recovery efforts centered around COVID-19," said Mayor Jerry Demings.
Dr. Raul Pino said Tuesday the county recorded 382 new cases, a new high since May 22.
"The CDC has moved us from low transmission to sustained transmission based on the new numbers," he said.
He believes holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are what contributed to the uptick along with the Delta variant, which he says is on track to become the dominant strain soon.
"We are expecting that. That happened with other variants before. What is significant about this one is how transmissible it is and how quick it takes off," he said.
The message at the briefing was clear.
"Please, please get vaccinated. We have the vaccines everywhere, even at the airport," Dr. Pino said.
He pointed to new numbers that he said shows 95% of hospitalizations and deaths were among people who were unvaccinated, breaking down the following data.
From Feb. 6 - June 22 -177 deaths out of 185 were among unvaccinated people
From Feb. 6 - June 22 - 530 hospitalizations out of 506 were among unvaccinated people
Mayor Demings reminded residents that Barnett Park is open seven days per week for vaccinations.