NEWS: Florida Reports Record-Breaking Daily Infections for COVID-19

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to change and develop, AllEars will be bringing you the latest relevant news that could affect a theme park visit.

As the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we’ve seen lots of changes and rules come and go (and come back again). With the Omicron Variant overwhelming both the United States and the world as a whole, some changes have been already been made.

Mask Rules Sign in Disney World

Today, we’re taking a look at the latest data about Florida’s current COVID-19 situation.

With the rise of the Omicron Variant of COVID-19, Florida has been hit with record-breaking infections and COVID cases. According to the Orlando Sentinel, there were a staggering 397,114 new cases in Florida this week. On Friday, January 7th, Florida broke its daily record with 76,887 new COVID cases in one day. The previous record was December 30th, 2021, when Florida had 75,732 new cases.

The weekly new COVID-19 cases for Florida ©Orlando Sentinel

Excluding those who had already tested positive, 1 in 3 COVID tests are coming back as positive in Florida. However, a record number of people have been getting tested, with about 146,665 tests being administered and reported each day. Also, new testing policies have also been put into place in the state of Florida, recommending that those who have symptoms of the COVID should be prioritized for testing.

The weekly new positive COVID-19 test results for Florida ©Orlando Sentinel

The Omicron Variant has caused cases to spike worldwide, with Florida getting hit with a big wave of cases. In terms of a county-by-county breakdown, some of the counties with the highest percentage of positive COVID tests were Orange County (40.4% of tests came back positive), Seminole County (38.18%), Osceola County (37.68%), and Lake County (30.09%). None of Florida’s counties are below 5%, which is generally the percentage at which the virus is considered “under control”.