COVID-19 continues to infect unvaccinated people across Florida in large numbers.
Back in the spring, News 6 spoke to Professor Ali Mokdad with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
Mokdad correctly predicted a resurgence of COVID-19 cases after the CDC recommended vaccinated individuals would no longer need to wear face coverings.
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“I worked at CDC for 20 years, CDC is my family and my home, but it was a bad decision, it was a big mistake to ask people to remove their mask indoors,” Professor Mokdad said.
As it turns out there has been a record number of infections and hospitalizations following that guidance. Mokdad said Florida could see a peak anytime now, but it will start coming down.
Mokdad and other experts expect this increase in vaccinations to help.
“The reason you are seeing a peak and decline in Florida is a combination of differences, one of it is that more people are wearing their masks right now, and more people are going to get the vaccine, you can see it,” Professor Mokdad said.
Mokdad said he will not attribute that decline solely to vaccines.
“You reach a place in Florida where there are no more people to infect, so the cases will start coming down and that is a sad reality.”
The record number of people getting their first dose is an encouraging indication for the coming weeks.
He hopes a layered approach of vaccinations and mask-wearing will prevent his next prediction.
“We are projecting in Florida about 46,000 deaths by Dec.1, if 95% of people wear a mask indoor or outdoor when they are not able to keep a safe distance, we are projecting in Florida 1,700 fewer deaths,” Mokdad said.