FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Coronavirus cases are doubling every couple of days in South Florida. This has prompted many holiday season indoor events to be canceled.
As of Monday, the New Year’s Eve anchor drop in Fort Lauderdale and the big orange rise in Downtown Miami were still on schedule to be held as planned.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Broward County Mayor Michael Udine are both receiving daily reports on hospital capacity related to COVID-19.
Levine Cava and Udine asked the unvaccinated to get their two-shot doses and the booster shot. They expect the season’s peak of infections early next year.
For more information about testing and vaccination locations in South Florida, visit this page.
Related story: Florida COVID surge: 18,000+ new cases from weekend as omicron spreads
More about omicron
Since it is more contagious than delta, epidemiologists expect omicron to become the dominant variant by early next year in the U.S. Researchers at the University of Miami Health lab reported it already makes up for the majority of the cases in Miami-Dade County.
There is plenty of uncertainty since it is unclear if omicron causes a more severe disease than delta. Scientists do know unvaccinated Americans face a higher risk. Research shows the Moderna and Pfizer booster shot offers protection against omicron.
Related story: While COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising in South Florida, ICU populations are not