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Florida hit hard by coronavirus variants; state finally releases data after newspaper law suit.
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Mutated strains of COVID-19 have reached 41 of Florida’s 67 counties, infecting hundreds of residents, including a 97-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy, according to data released to the Orlando Sentinel late Friday by the state Department of Health.
The disclosure came one day after the newspaper filed a lawsuit against the agency for allegedly violating Florida’s public records law and the state’s constitution. For 57 days, the state withheld information on the variant cases, despite numerous requests from Orlando Sentinel reporters and attorneys.
“We are happy the state is finally complying with the law and releasing this important information so that citizens can be better informed about the extent of variants in Florida,” Sentinel managing editor Roger Simmons said. “It’s just a shame that we had to sue the state – again – to get it.”
The data, which the state regularly submits to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows infection rates appear to have spiked on February 7, when 124 cases were reported by laboratories examining the genetic makeup of selected samples.
Health experts agree it’s likely that Florida’s total is many times higher, since fewer than 1% of COVID cases are tested to detect the mutations, and Florida tests at a far lower rate than many states — including Alabama, Texas and New Mexico, for instance.
Most of the state’s variant cases have been found in South Florida, with 307 reported in Broward County, 129 in Miami-Dade and 75 in Palm Beach. But all Central Florida counties also reported the mutated viral strains: Orange had 18 cases, Seminole 16, Osceola 13 and Lake 5. ...
In December, the Sentinel filed a lawsuit against Governor DeSantis and his office for failing to provide the weekly White House Coronavirus Task Force reports in a timely manner. In early January, the state agreed to settle that lawsuit, providing all past reports and agreeing to release future reports within two business days. It also agreed to pay $7,500 in attorney fees.
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