COVID-19: Omicron Down The Toilet. Delta Hospitalizations Up.

Florida’s COVID-19 infection rate is the lowest in the United States. Palm Beach County sees a bump. More Omicron is seen in wastewater than in hospitals.

BOCA RATON, FL – Boca Post (BocaPost.com) — According to the CDC, Florida is currently the 5th lowest state in the continental USA with regards to COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people. Palm Beach County is seeing a slight increase today.

Omicron is being seen more in the wastewater and less in the hospitals as the majority of hospitalized people with COVID-19 predominantly have the DELTA variant.

A continued study of COVID-19 found in wastewater, Orange County, FL, is reporting that they are finding significantly more Omicron variants than the Delta variant in its samples. In fact, earlier in the week, they claimed that nearly 100% of the samples collected were found to be of the Omicron variant. Orange County, like many other counties, is still not reporting any

“The tests confirmed with certainty that omicron is rapidly becoming the prevalent variant found in all three of Orange County’s wastewater plants,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said at a news conference Wednesday. “I will reiterate that the delta variant was still seen, but in smaller proportions.”

Meanwhile, hospitalizations continue to be predominantly caused by infections of the Delta variant even though scientists claim that Omicron is more contagious than Delta. Based on the numbers alone, it would appear that Omicron may be less dangerous than Delta. Only time will tell how dangerous Omicron is as more studies are completed.

Contributing Sources

“Omicron is dominant in wastewater samples in Florida county”. Associated Press, 12/16/21, https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-travel-lifestyle-florida-e7907660a6d3ce352990ed151ba1a225, Accessed 12/17/21

“COVID Data Tracker”, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12/17/21, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/, Accessed 12/17/21