LOW IN FLORIDA COMPARED TO WHAT WE SAW AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC. BUT THE VIRUS HAS NOT DISAPPEARED. HEALTH EXPERTS ARE REMINDING PEOPLE THAT THE IMPACTS FROM THIS VIRUS ARE STILL HERE. WESH 2’S PAOLA TRISTAN ARUDA SPOKE TO A PHYSICIAN ABOUT THE NUMBERS WE ARE SEEING IN THE STATE. IT’S BEEN FOUR YEARS SINCE THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC STARTED AND STILL WE ARE SEEING THE EFFECTS OF THE VIRUS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS WHERE I WORK. WE ARE STILL SEEING THIS VIRUS. A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY DOING PARTICULARLY WELL, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION THAT ARE STILL GETTING VERY SICK. THERE HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 142,000 CASES OF COVID 19 IN FLORIDA SO FAR IN 2024, BUT WHEN YOU BREAK IT UP BY MONTH, THERE WERE MORE THAN 20,000 REPORTED CASES IN MARCH THIS YEAR, FAR LESS COMPARED TO MARCH OF 2023, WHERE THERE WERE MORE THAN 41,800 CASES. BUT NEARLY 2300 PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM THE VIRUS SO FAR THIS YEAR, ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. DOCTOR RAJEEV BAL SAYS IT’S DIFFICULT TO CAPTURE JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE COVID WITH SYMPTOMS OFTEN MIMICKING SYMPTOMS OF THE COMMON FLU OR AN UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION, AND FEWER PEOPLE TESTING FOR THE VIRUS. SO COVID 19 TODAY IS STILL MANY OF THE UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS. THAT’S GOING TO BE A HEADACHE, STUFFY NOSE, A COUGH, AND EVEN SOME CONGESTION AS WELL. NOW, IF YOU EXPERIENCE THOSE SYMPTOMS AND YOU DO WANT TO TEST HOME TESTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO ACTUALLY TAKE THOSE TESTS, A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY EVEN GET COVID 19, DESPITE THE VACCINE SHOULD DO PARTICULARLY WELL, PARTICULARLY WITH THIS STRAIN OF COVID 19 THAT IS AROUND. BUT IF YOU’RE IN ONE OF THOSE HIGH RISK POPULATIONS, WE DO RECOMMEND YOU START TO CONSIDER GETTING THAT VACCINE AS WELL. PAOLA TR