ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Public health officials are asking state and local leaders in Florida to take action to stop the spread of coronavirus cases among younger people.
What You Need To Know
- Orange County is seeing increase of cases in people ages 15 to 35
- In UCF area, many new cases can be traced back to bars and social gatherings
- RELATED: University of Florida Says Football Activities "Paused" Amid COVID Cases
Orange County health officials say more than half of new cases in the county are among people 15 to 35 years old.
On Wednesday, a coalition of public health experts is expected to address state and local leaders in Tallahassee, with a plea for them to take action to stop what they see as an alarming trend.
At the University of Central Florida, positive coronavirus cases grew from about 40 back in September to currently more than 150. Preliminary contact tracing shows several of the new cases can be traced back to activity at bars and social gatherings in the UCF area.
“For those who are in the older range, if we continue to increase this age, it will go into the older segment of the population again,” said Dr. Raul Pino with Florida Department of Health in Orange County. “If it goes there, we are going to have the same issue we experienced four months ago.”
Pino says right now overall cases in Orange County are still at a relatively low level. The average positivity rate has hovered at just below 5 percent for a while. But he worries the spike in cases among younger people could lead to more cases in older people who are more vulnerable to the virus.
UCF is urging students to continue to take precautions to stop the spread of the virus, including masking up.
“It definitely makes me want to be more cautious, especially wearing a mask anytime I’m inside, anywhere,” said Hunter Cowper, a UCF Student.
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