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Florida sets yet another record for COVID-19 cases on Christmas Day

For the second day in a row, Florida has set a record for daily number of new COVID cases.

Yesterday the Sunshine State reported 31,758 new COVID-19 cases, a number that surpassed Florida’s previous all-time high number of cases in one day that was set in August during the height of the wave of infections from the Delta variant of the coronavirus. That record was 27,802 new coronavirus cases in one day.

omicron variant covid
Credit: USA Today

Today, however, Florida has reported 32,850 new cases, making today its worst day for numbers of new COVID cases since the beginning of the global pandemic that has cost nearly 800,000 American lives so far.

The positive news is that not a single death from coronavirus was reported for today.

In addition to having a new one-day record for new coronavirus cases, a majority of counties within the Sunshine State are now considered “high” risk counties for community spread as positivity rates in COVID testing have skyrocketed over the last week. As of today, 41 of the 67 counties in Florida have this recognition from the United States Centers for Disease Control.

RELATED: That’s where Disney is! White House report lists Orange County, Florida, as the only “rapid riser” county in the Sunshine State for COVID-19 cases 

Despite the uptick in new cases in Florida and the recent finding of the new omicron variant of the coronavirus, Florida governor Ron DeSantis continues to tout his anti-mask mandate policy and anti-vaccine mandate policy. This fall, Governor DeSantis called a special session during which he signed off on a four-part law that strikes down vaccine mandates for employees of any local government entity in Florida.

ron desantis
Credit: Politico

Private businesses are not completely exempt either, as the new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis requires even those employers to include exemption status for employees who refuse the vaccine because of religious or medical reasons. Also, under the new law, employees in Florida who have already had COVID-19 are exempt from vaccine mandates, as are those employees who agree to, and comply with, routine testing for the virus and commit to wearing personal protective equipment like masks, etc.

The signing of the new law prompted Disney to halt its vaccine mandate at the time for Cast Members at the Walt Disney World Resort.

cinderella castle partners statue
Credit: Conde Nast

The Sunshine State’s new record means that since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,897,138 Florida residents have been infected by COVID-19, and 62,264 Florida residents have lost their lives to coronavirus infections and complications.

 

Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!

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