Florida breaks COVID-19 hospitalisation record as cases surge

US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said "things could get worse" as Florida registered the most number of hospitalisations due to COVID-19 compared to last year before the use of vaccines in the country.

According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, over 10,207 hospitalisation cases were recorded on Sunday which broke the previous record of 10,170 reported on July 23, 2020.

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The latest surge has been taking place due to the Delta variant even as 58 per cent of Americans have been vaccinated. Florida has become the hotspot in the US for hospitalisations as the more transmittable Delta variant continues to spread.

On Saturday, Florida reported 21,683 new coronavirus cases which was the highest since the pandemic began last year even as the state recorded 17,093 last Friday.

The number of new per capita COVID-19 cases in Florida has been rising 50 per cent week-over-week, according to government data although Governor Ron DeSantis has blocked mask mandates in schools allowing parents to decide.

Dr Anthony Fauci said there will be no lockdown in the US since a large number of people were vaccinated but warned that, "Not enough to crush the outbreak."

Last week US health officials had told citizens to start wearing masks in areas where the virus has been spreading rapidly even if they have been fully vaccinated.

Dr Fauci had said the Delta was an "evasive type of a virus" which evolves. According to government data, the Delta variant accounts for 80 per cent of US coronavirus cases.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) had declared that people in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Manhattan should wear masks indoors due to high transmission rates including in Florida.

The US has been the hardest-hit country due to the virus with over 35 million coronavirus cases and 613,228 fatalities.

(With inputs from Agencies)