BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – After a second week of increasing COVID-19 cases, the Space Coast once again became a community of ‘substantial transmission’, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health on Friday and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicators.
Between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, the Space Coast had a new case positivity rate of 2.7% and 50.1 cases per 100,000. This marks an increase of 7.2 cases per 100,000 since the prior week.
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Though Brevard County’s new case positivity rate is under 8%, the cases per 100,000 rate rated the Space Coast as one of ‘substantial transmission’, according to CDC transmission levels.
A community of substantial transmission is one that has between 50 and 100 cases per 100,000 and a percent positivity rate between 8 and 10 percentage points. Brevard just barely passed that threshold on cases.
A community of moderate transmission is one where there are between 10 and 50 cases per 100,000 people and the case positivity rate is between 5% and 8%, according to the CDC.
To be a community of low transmission, Brevard County would need to have a new case positivity rate below 5% and have less than 10 cases per 100,000.
According to data released by the CDC, in addition to an increase in cases, the Space Coast has had an increase in COVID-19 related deaths.
There were six COVID-19 related deaths between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4; four more deaths than the week prior. As of Dec. 4, there have been a total of 1,711 COVID-19 related deaths in Brevard County since the start of the pandemic.
Despite the increase in cases and deaths, the vaccination rate stayed the same since last week. Only 66% of eligible residents on the Space Coast —those ages five and older— have been vaccinated as of Dec.9.
According to FDOH, of the eligible population in Florida, age group vaccination rates across the state are:
- Ages 5-11, 11% vaccinated
- Ages 12-19, 57% vaccinated.
- Ages 20-29, 58% vaccinated.
- Ages 30-39, 68% vaccinated.
- Ages 40-49, 76% vaccinated.
- Ages 50-59, 81% vaccinated.
- Ages 60-64, 87% vaccinated.
- Ages 65+, 90% vaccinated.
About 15% of Floridians have receiveda booster shot of the vaccine.
Statewide, the case positivity rate was 2.6% and there were 61.6 cases per 100,000 between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9.
An additional 325 Floridians died of COVID-19 between Dec. 3 and Dec.9. There have been a total of 62,026 COVID-19 related deaths in Florida since the start of the pandemic.
Since the pandemic, there have been a total of 49,593,113 cases and 791,963 COVID-19 related deaths in the US, according to CDC data. Only 60.6% of Americans were fully vaccinated as of Dec.10.