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It was expected and it's here...the winter surge of COVID cases. That's what the Florida Department of Health's Dr. Alina Alonso says.
"The nightmare is definitely not over. This doesn't end. This is the fifth time we've done the same thing and every time we do it we see that it comes back."
Palm Beach County's health director urges anyone who gets sick, even with mild symptoms, to be tested for both COVID and the flu and avoid elderly family members and crowds. That goes for the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.
Giving a COVID update to the county commission on Tuesday, she also urged boosters for the fully vaccinated, saying that those are working against the Omicron variant.
While the CDC says the Omicron variant is responsible for 73 percent of COVID cases in the country, Dr. Alonso says it's only accounting for 2.9 percent in Palm Beach County.
"I think it's way under-reported because of the mild symptoms that it gives. Most people who only get a mild symptom don't even go get tested."
Palm Beach recorded 2,445 cases last week, with the rate of positivity rising by 3.9%. The new case positivity rate is 6.5 percent. It was below 5% before Thanksgiving.