Attorney General Tests Positive As FL Coronavirus Rates Surge

TAMPA, FL — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced Wednesday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 following a trip she made to the southern border of Texas with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Moody, a native of Hillsborough County, said in a tweet Wednesday that she had received the vaccine prior to contracting the virus.

“I received a COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year and today tested positive for the virus. Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms and my family is in good health. As I continue to self-quarantine, I want to encourage Floridians to be vigilant about their health,” Moody said.

On Saturday, Moody joined fellow Republicans including DeSantis, Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for a tour at the southern border at Del Rio, Texas.

On the same day Moody announced that she'd contracted the virus, DeSantis urged Floridians to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“If you look at the people that are being admitted to hospitals, over 95 percent of them are either not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all,” DeSantis said. “These vaccines are saving lives. They are reducing mortality.”

Health officials are noting a disturbing surge of the virus in Florida during the past two weeks.

"Just four states accounted for more than 40 percent of all cases in the past week, with 1 in 5 of all cases occurring in Florida alone," said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients.

On Wednesday, Florida reported 12,647 new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number of cases since late January, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This made up 23 percent of all national cases reported to the CDC on Wednesday.

The last time that Florida had more cases was Jan. 30, when it reported 14,654 cases.

Florida hospitals are reporting a surge in patients with coronavirus, most with the delta variant of the virus, a trend that Patch was first to report on July 15.

See related story: FL Hospitalizations Surge As COVID-19 Delta Variant Spreads

According to Florida's Department of Health, there were 45,603 new cases between July 9 and July 15, up from 23,562 new cases the week prior. During that week, 59 people died from complications due to the coronavirus.

To date, 19,119,043 Floridians, about 59 percent of the population, have been vaccinated.