JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Centers for Disease Control made new recommendations that even fully-vaccinated people wear masks indoors in COVID-19 hot spots.
A UF Health doctor tells Action News Jax the entire state of Florida and most of Georgia — especially its borders with Florida— are highly-transmissible zones for the virus.
Dr. Chirag Patel says even fully-vaccinated people can still catch the virus; adding a warning about the highly-contagious delta variant and the gamma variant.
Patel says roughly half the United States population is vaccinated against COVID-19. Data from the Florida Department of Health for July 16 to July 22 show local counties in Action News Jax’s viewing area below the national rate:
- Baker: 31%
- Clay: 43%
- Putnam: 38%
Patel says this is why Northeast Florida is a COVID hot spot. Besides the delta variant, Patel warns of another strain known as the gamma variant.
“In some areas of the Midwest, the gamma variant is the dominant strain or dominant variant that’s happening, so we’re going to have to keep a close eye on that one as well,” he said.
While the delta variant makes up the majority of the cases in Florida, Patel worries about how contagious both variants are. He says even fully-vaccinated people can still catch COVID-19.
“The vaccine is going to keep you extremely safe from both hospitalization as well as death. If you’re unvaccinated, you really have a target on your back,” he added.
Patel believes a long history of vaccine hesitancy, even in pre-pandemic times, is to blame for COVID hot spots.
UF Health told Action News Jax as of Tuesday morning, 177 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized at both its campuses.
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