Amid a nationwide summer time spike in COVID-19 circumstances, Florida is reportedly experiencing one of many highest will increase, prompting well being specialists to warn residents to take the scenario very severely and undertake protecting and academic measures.Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has examined optimistic for COVID-19 and is experiencing gentle signs. Nevertheless, Vice President Kamala Harris has examined adverse and stays asymptomatic.READ: Lengthy COVID stays severe and chronic; greater than 200 signs identifiedThis comes amid a summer time spike in COVID-19 circumstances throughout the nation, together with Florida prompting well being specialists to warn residents to take the scenario very severely and implement protecting measures. In keeping with the most recent information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), Florida ranks among the many highest of any state throughout this wave.Charges of COVID-19 have surged in emergency rooms over latest weeks, nearing peaks not seen because the worst days of this previous winter’s wave.Along with emergency room visits, different key metrics in Florida, equivalent to wastewater and nursing house information, have additionally seen steep will increase.Chart offered by the Heart for Illness and PreventionREAD: Florida emergency rooms see a surge in COVID-19 circumstances, nearing final winter’s peakAction Information Jax spoke to Dr. Jeffrey Goldhagen, the previous Director of the Duval Division of Well being, who mentioned the uptick is to be anticipated since we have now extra variants and those that are unvaccinated are prone.“Sadly, the assist for COVID testing shouldn’t be what it was through the pandemic, however these COVID exams are nonetheless obtainable by pharmacies. Individuals do must take this very severely,” Dr. Goldhagen mentioned.Traditionally, COVID-19 exercise has picked up a minimum of twice a 12 months because the pandemic started: as soon as through the summer time or early fall after a spring lull, and once more within the winter. Nevertheless, the CDC now states that COVID-19 exercise patterns noticed are usually not seasonal and may surge at any time of the 12 months, usually pushed by new variants.Dr. Goldhagen added “Over 1,000,000 folks died through the pandemic. Most of these individuals who did have been truly not vaccinated. The vaccines that do work. In the event that they need to take that danger for themselves, they’ll for positive, however they do must vaccinate their kids, and positively these round them which are an awesome danger.”At the moment, the KP.2 and KP.3 variants are the most typical nationwide, answerable for greater than half of latest circumstances. Different variants, equivalent to LB.1 and KP.4.1, are additionally contributing to the present rise.Dr. Goldhagen additionally warned of the potential for one more pandemic with the H1N1 fowl flu virus. Whereas the present public well being menace is low, he emphasised that if we don’t study from our expertise with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are going to make the identical errors with future viruses.To guard themselves and others, persons are urged to observe these pointers:For extra info and sources, go to the CDC’s COVID-19 web page or your native well being division’s web site.[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]Click on right here to obtain the free Motion Information Jax information and climate apps, click on right here to obtain the Motion Information Jax Now app on your sensible TV and click on right here to stream Motion Information Jax reside.