DOH Sarasota Official Warns Of Coronavirus Spike: Report

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — A Florida Department of Health official in Sarasota County warned of a coronavirus spike in the county, as the number of positive cases increases to levels that haven’t been seen since early in the pandemic, the Herald-Tribune reported.

During an update to the Sarasota County Commission Wednesday, Chuck Henry, a health officer for the state DOH in Sarasota, said, “There is a lot of virus circulating in our community right now, probably more than we’ve seen throughout this pandemic.”

He added, “I’m not trying to be dramatic, but this is what the data says is happening in our community.”

There were 272 new COVID-19 cases reported in Sarasota County Wednesday. The total number of cases in the state since the start of the pandemic is 21,898, according to state data.

As of Tuesday, the 14-day positivity rate is 7.7 percent. The positivity rate hit a low in September when it reached 4 percent, reports said.

The seven-day positivity rate, though, is a bit over 8 percent, reports said. Henry said this indicates that “we’re still climbing a little bit, so we need to be careful.”

The county’s hospitalization rate remains around 70 percent, he added. There are 1,400 hospital beds in Sarasota County.

Of these beds, 139 – including 29 intensive care beds – are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients, reports said.

Henry said the current coronavirus spike is a result of the recent holidays, which saw people celebrating in groups and traveling, as well as “complacency.”