Broward joins Miami-Dade as only two Florida counties with ‘moderate’ risk levels

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved Broward County’s COVID risk level up to “moderate.”

The higher level is a result of the county’s positivity rate rising to 16.5% and nine new COVID hospital admissions each day per 100,000 people. Broward County joins Miami-Dade as the only two counties in Florida with moderate risk levels rather than low.

Statewide, the daily average for new COVID cases has been rising throughout May, climbing again this week to 7,828 new cases, a level last seen during the omicron winter wave. Medical experts say there is no way to know the extent of the current wave with so many Floridians taking at-home rapid tests and not reporting their status to public databases,

Virus sequencing reveals a subvariant of omicron known as

B.A.2.12.1 is spreading rapidly in Florida, and health experts say it will likely become the dominant strain in the state before the summer. Some experts believe B.A.2.12.1 may be the most contagious strain thus far.

Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious diseases specialist at Florida International University, said because of immunity from infection and vaccination, hospitalizations from the new subvariant likely will be minimal. On Friday, about only about 2.6% of Florida’s hospital beds were occupied with COVID patients.

South Florida is not the only area of the country at moderate risk levels. Jason Salemi, a USF professor of epidemiology notes on Twitter: “Based on this week’s @CDCgov transmission levels, 89% of the US population lives in a county classified as ‘substantial’ or ‘high.’”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel will be updating the data weekly as reporters continue to watch for emerging trends.