The number of UF affiliates quarantined rose to 134 Monday — 14 more than Nov. 8.
However, UF had 29 cases from Nov. 7 to Sunday, down from 50 the previous week. The seven-day average rose above seven on Nov. 6 for the first time in a month.
Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Alachua County rose this week.
There were a total of 177 new cases in Alachua County this week — 71 more than the prior week. From the week of Aug. 27 to last week, new cases per week fell by about 93%.
UF Health Shands hospitalizations also increased. The number of hospitalized patients in Alachua County rose to 24 as of Nov. 15 — an increase of about 41% since Nov. 9. Hospitalizations had fallen by about 46% during the previous week.
Of the 11 COVID-19 patients at Shands on Wednesday, 2 were in the ICU, UF Health spokesperson Ken Garcia wrote in an email. On Tuesday, all patients were unvaccinated.
No children were hospitalized as of Wednesday, the same as last week.
Alachua Public Schools reported 51 students were quarantined as of Friday, down from 84 students Nov. 5.
In the last two weeks, 13 students and two adults tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Alachua County School District as of Monday.
Florida reported more than 1.1 million new COVID-19 vaccinations in the past week as of Friday, according to state health officials. The total is the biggest one-week increase recorded in the number of Florida vaccinations since the vaccines became available.
However, the US daily case average had increased by 23% over the past two and a half weeks as of Monday. More than 763,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 since the first death between Jan. 5 and Jan. 11, 2020, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Just a little more than two-thirds of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the first week that COVID-19 vaccines were offered to children ages 5-11, the number of people getting vaccinated rose sharply, nearly doubling Florida’s total and more than doubling Alachua County’s. The county has 167,730 people vaccinated, making up almost two-thirds of the vaccine-eligible population and 61% of the entire population.
In Florida, 3% of children ages 5-11 had gotten a COVID-19 vaccine as of Nov. 12, according to a report from the Florida Department of Health. More than 50,000 children of that age group in Florida have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the Pfizer vaccine was approved for them earlier this month, according to state data.
UF is offering COVID-19 testing at the UF Cultural Plaza Parking Garage and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. UF Health is offering walk-up vaccinations on the first floor of Shands, the first floor of Medical Plaza and the first floor of Springhill. Alachua County is offering walk-up vaccinations at various local pharmacies.
Contact J.P. Oprison at joprison@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JOprison
JP is a fourth-year journalism major with a minor in history. He is currently the health reporter for The Alligator, focusing on how the pandemic is affecting Alachua County and the thousands of students in Gainesville. In his free time, JP likes to exercise at the gym and relax on the beach.
