What to Know About the Latest COVID-19 Numbers Before Your Next Disney Trip

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.

Slowly but surely, more and more of the world has reopened and life has seemingly gone back to “normal” in the wake of the global pandemic.

COVID-19 health and safety signage in Disney World

Travel restrictions have eased and mask requirements are mostly a thing of the past, and over in the Disney parks, we saw social distancing go away allowing us to hug our favorite characters once again. The COVID-19 virus hasn’t gone away, though, and remains an issue in much of the world. So, what is the current state of COVID-19 and what does the data say?

Despite Disney World resuming much of its normal operations, the COVID-19 virus continues to affect people around the globe. The CDC recently added two more destinations to its “high risk” category, after adding three more the week prior. But, it looks like new cases are remaining stable and COVID-19 deaths are decreasing overall, according to the Associated Press.

The latest report from Google also shows the global number of cases decreasing — the 7-day average was 999,461 new cases, which is a far cry from the February 2022 average of 2,517,120. It’s important to note, though, that the latest average is an increase since the 478,065 global new case average from June 3rd, 2022. This could indicate that cases are steadying.

The 7-day average of new cases and deaths in the United States has increased from May 2022, when the number was 29,196 — as of August 9th that amount is now 115,635. Even more recently than May, (as of July 4th) the 7-day average number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. was 92,782.

And according to the New York Times, an “average of 8,640 cases per day were reported in Florida in the last week,” though the report does go on to say that cases have decreased by 19% over the last two weeks…

…while deaths have increased by 1%.

Data from the New York Times obtained via Google reports that the 7-day average of new cases and deaths in Florida was 9,874 as of August 9th. Again, this is better than the average in February 2022 but still a bit higher than recent July numbers.

It’s also important to note that the BA.5 Omicron Variant of the COVID-19 virus remains the most abundant strain, with over 85% of current cases being attributed to the latest variant.

The World Health Organization has also shared that the BA.5 subvariant is the dominant strain across the globe.

What to Know About the BA.5 Variant Before Your Next Disney Trip

Although the average number of cases has fallen, the COVID-19 virus is still a concern, especially in highly frequented places like Disney World. The CDC recommends taking precautions when traveling or being in areas where you could be exposed to the virus, and you can read more about Disney’s safety guidelines here.