The number of COVID-19 patients continues to fall in Alachua County and across the country.
New positive cases in Alachua County fell by about 26% last week compared to the prior week. As of Oct. 1, there have been 38,582 total cases in the county.
Total COVID-19 inpatients in the county fell by about 35% last week. As of Tuesday, 42 inpatients are in the ICU and 19 are on a ventilator.
Alachua County weekly vaccination numbers fell by about 8% when compared to the previous week. Of those at 12 years old, 69% are vaccinated, up by 1% from the last two weeks.
Similarly, cases at UF continue to fall along with those in Alachua County and the country. There were 44 COVID-19 patients at Shands Tuesday, 16 of them in the ICU, UF Health spokesperson Ken Garcia wrote in an email. Additionally, there were 59 resolved patients, which are patients who are no longer positive but still in the hospital.
Three children were hospitalized with COVID-19 Tuesday, one of them in the ICU, Garcia wrote.
Of all UF Health patients, 84% were unvaccinated Oct. 5.
The seven-day average for UF cases fell by about 5% from Sept. 18 to 25. As of Sept. 25, it was 14.6.
On Tuesday, 252 UF affiliates were quarantined. The number decreased by about 12% from Sept. 18 to 25.
The number of UF affiliates quarantined was 252 Tuesday. decreased by about 12% from Sept. 18 to 25.
On Oct. 5, 102 students were quarantined, a decrease of about 28% from last week.
Forty people have tested positive for the virus since Sept. 28, about 10 fewer than the prior week.
Alachua County Public Schools since Friday have also experienced a decrease of 41% of students who were quarantined.
In the last 14 days, 84 students and four adults tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Alachua County School District on Oct. 4.
Last week’s national weekly moving average of daily new cases decreased by about 13% from the previous week.
Florida ranked seventh in the nation for COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 Oct. 5, with about 222 daily average deaths.
The fall in cases comes the same week Merck & Co. announced a pill for fighting against COVID-19, which is said to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by half in those recently infected with the virus.
If authorized, the pill would be the first shown to treat COVID-19. Early results from a Merck trial showed patients who used the pill within five days of symptoms had about half the rate of hospitalization and death as patients who got a placebo.
UF Shands won’t offer the pills to students or staff until it gets federal approval, Garcia wrote.
UF is offering COVID-19 testing at the UF Cultural Plaza Parking Garage and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. UF Health and Alachua County are offering walk-up vaccinations.
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.
