COVID-19 is still “wreaking havoc” in Central Florida, according to Seminole County Medical Director Dr. Todd Husty.
“There are a lot of people out there who don’t have any immunity and it’s killing people and it’s hospitalizing people,” Husty said. “This thing is nasty, it’s still sticking around and we’re kind of letting it stick around.”
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Husty said he felt “ashamed” to stop wearing his mask indoors in crowded spaces while people are still getting COVID, spreading it and dying from it — like Lewis Moore, the second Brevard County teacher to lose his battle to coronavirus.
Moore, a digital design and marketing teacher at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High, was only 65 years old.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our educators, Mr. Moore,” the Brevard County School District said. “He was known for his positive impact and will be fondly remembered for the lives he touched as a beloved teacher, mentor, coach and friend. Our hearts go out to his family, the students, staff and administrators at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High.”
Husty said it’s another reason to start wearing his mask again in certain situations.
“I’m going to put my mask back on,” Husty said. “I think it’s time we think about how do we get this thing to stop going through our community. And it’s masking and social distancing. And it’s getting vaccinated.”
Husty warned, despite vaccination, there is a small chance that you can still get COVID. And more than a quarter of Central Florida’s population is still unvaccinated.
“We’re still in a pandemic, roughly 60% of the population has some immunity, maybe 70%,” Husty said. “But that means that four out of ten people, maybe three out of ten people walking by you don’t have any immunity. I mean that’s kind of scary when you think about it.”
The CDC advises those who are fully vaccinated don’t need their masks in most situations. But Dr. Husty said in some indoor situations, you still should wear one.
“I’m going to do it for me, I’m going to put my mask back on when I go into a public place with a lot of other people,” Husty said. “Not so much for me but just in case I get COVID-19 which will probably be a mild case because I’m vaccinated but I can still spread to other people around. I won’t wear one outside, but in a grocery store, I should probably have one on. I think we should probably all do that. Think about it, we have to cut the transmission of this disease — this deadly disease. We have to do it.”