There’s no COVID here.
That’s what newcomers and visitors might mistakenly think upon their arrival in Vero Beach, or anywhere else in Indian River County, where there are few visible signs the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us, even as we find ourselves under siege from yet-another spike in cases.
There are no mass mask mandates in effect, since our governor has made it illegal for local governments, school districts and private businesses in Florida to impose them, so you’ll find only a cautious, concerned and considerate few covering their faces.
There are no COVID-connected capacity limits in stores, restaurants, bars, churches, schools, theaters or other indoor public places, and social distancing has gone the way of the pay phone.
And despite COVID-19’s latest surge throughout Florida and across America continuing to make alarming headlines, including those warning of dramatic increases in hospitalizations, there’s surprisingly little conversation about it here.
It doesn’t seem to matter that this coronavirus’ Omicron variant is raging in Florida, having spawned more than 42,000 new infections per day and produced nearly 300,000 confirmed cases during the final week of 2021 – the highest rate of COVID infections ever in this state.
In fact, the number of Florida’s weekly COVID-19 cases doubled in each successive week of December as the positivity rate jumped from 2.6 percent on Dec. 6, when the new variant was first detected in neighboring St. Lucie County, to 26.5 percent last week. The state’s COVID hospitalizations increased by 271 percent over the last two weeks of the year.
Closer to home, COVID cases in our county have risen at a disturbing rate, escalating weekly throughout the past month – from 54 on Dec. 2 to 217 on Dec. 23 to a whopping 659 on Dec. 30.
Similarly, the positivity rate of those tested for COVID in the county rose from 2.7 percent on Dec. 2 to 7.1 percent on Dec. 23 to 18.6 percent on Dec. 30.
There were 13 new hospitalizations during the seven-day period that ended Dec. 28, an increase of more than 40 percent from the previous week.
Those numbers prompted the Centers for Disease Control to rate the county’s community transmission level as “high” and urge everyone to “wear a mask in public indoor settings.”
Thankfully, neither the CDC nor the Florida Department of Health identified any COVID-related deaths locally during that period, but there’s often a lag in reporting such fatalities.
We can only hope what experts have been saying about Omicron appears to be true: While this variant is more contagious than previous versions, it’s symptoms are less severe, it results in fewer and shorter hospitalizations, and it isn’t as lethal.
And, perhaps, that explains why so few of our neighbors seem to care or notice – why COVID is no longer the talk of the town, why life goes on as if the pandemic were a distant memory.
Nobody’s dying.
Thus far, anyway, the spike in Omicron infections hasn’t been nearly as deadly as the surge in Delta-variant cases last summer, when we saw record COVID-related hospitalizations.
It’s also possible, if not probable, that we’re no different than the millions of other Americans who suffer from COVID fatigue.
Simply put: After 22 months of living with the worst global pandemic in 100 years, we’re tired of arguing about masks and vaccines, worrying about what comes next and wondering if this nightmare will ever end.
We want everything to be normal again, like it was before any of us had heard the word “coronavirus” – and, well, that’s how most folks here are moving on with their lives.
Besides, most of us have been vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the CDC, more than 77 percent of county residents have received at least one dose, and more than 64 percent have received two.
Only 24 percent, however, have been fully vaccinated and received booster shots, which don’t prevent infection but are supposed to offer the protection needed to avoid lasting illness and hospitalization from the Omicron variant.
We can only hope more of us get boosted as this latest surge worsens, because we’re not likely to get any help from our state or local officials.
Both County Administrator Jason Brown and Vero Beach City Manager Monte Falls said their staffs continue to monitor the situation, but neither plans any direct action nor identified any statistical threshold that would trigger the implementation of mitigation protocols. But they did cite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order prohibiting mask or vaccine mandates.
“There’s only so much we can do,” Brown said.
Schools Superintendent David Moore, meanwhile, said he discussed the recent COVID spike – and the precautions that can be taken to mitigate the spread – with his leadership team throughout the holiday break.
His goal is to keep our schools open, but he’s concerned the surge could result in COVID infections that would force teachers, teachers’ assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria works, custodians and other district personnel to miss work.
“If you get COVID, you’re out, and we have to find ways to get coverage for those few days, especially for teachers,” Moore said. “The quarantine time is much shorter now, which helps, but we’re going to proceed with all due caution and take whatever precautions we can – because we don’t know how bad this is going to get.”
Moore said last week he’ll implement a “tiered mitigation plan” based on the COVID-infection rate at each individual school, rather than rely on a district-wide policy, in an attempt to keep students in classrooms.
However, he said he wouldn’t know the extent of the surge’s current impact on teachers, students and other district personnel until early this week.
“We’ve been away for 10 days, so we don’t know how bad it is,” Moore said.
“We’re going to urge students to wear masks, but that’s as far as we can go.
Requiring masks is against the law. The governor has tied our hands.”
There is one sector of our community that does seem to be taking this spike in COVID cases seriously and where you’ll find visible evidence of the pandemic – the local private clubs.
John’s Island, The Moorings and Sea Oaks are requiring staffers to wear masks when indoors at club facilities and encouraging members and guests to do the same, while Orchid Island, Windsor and Grand Harbor have implemented indoor mask mandates for members, guests and employees.
Quail Valley, on the other hand, has fully embraced DeSantis’ order and merely encourages employees, members and guests to wear masks indoors.
So, yes, there is COVID here, and I’m guessing most of us know it. Too many of us, though, don’t seem to care anymore.
It is, sadly, a sign of the times.