As inventory manager for Farm Share, a food relief bank for the disadvantaged in South Florida, Delgado, 51, his face covered, holding his breath every time he spoke to customers who weren’t wearing one.
Because he comes into contact with many strangers every day, Delgado sleeps outdoors to avoid infecting his wife, elderly mother-in-law, three sons and grandson.
`I want to sleep in my house, in my bed,` he said.
John Delgado next to his backyard hut in Homestead, Florida, on June 28.
On June 27, for the second consecutive day, Florida recorded a record high number of new infections, with 9,585 cases.
Hospitals near Delgado’s home in Homestead, about 64 kilometers south of Miami, are running out of beds because of rising Covid-19 cases.
Over the weekend, thousands of people flocked to Jacksonville, forming long lines of cars, waiting for 6 hours to be tested for nCoV.
Much of the spike in new cases in Florida appears to stem from the reopening of beaches, bars, restaurants and other social activities.
Many people are scared and fed up of being stuck at home.
`I am among the 9,000 new infections that day,` said Ian Scott, 19, a college student in Orlando, who was found positive for nCoV on June 26.
Scott said that for young people, testing has become a fun pastime.
`We saw one person after another testing positive,` he said.
Scott had no symptoms and was still healthy when he tested positive.
Governor Ron DeSantis said there have been more Covid-19 deaths in the state among people over 90 than among people under 65. The average age of newly infected patients is now 36, according to the Florida Department of Health.
`This group is at low risk of severe progression,` DeSantis said.
State officials did little to discourage community interaction.
Governor DeSantis said the increase in new cases may be due to more test results now being available, but admitted that since the second week of June, the Covid-19 positivity rate has increased.
Statewide, about 20% of people aged 25-34 tested positive, he said at a press conference on June 28, emphasizing that the risk of a new outbreak increases as temperatures increase.
`When the weather in Florida gets hotter, people want to avoid the heat. They tend to stay indoors more, in closed spaces, increasing the risk of nCov infection,` DeSantis said.
Public health experts in Florida worry that the increase in cases will lead to an increase in hospitalizations and possibly an increase in deaths.
Natalie E.Dean, professor of biology, University of Florida, said that although young people rarely have severe progression, in the long term, no one knows the consequences that Covid-19 will leave on young people.
`Some people are very sick,` she said.
People have fun in bars and restaurants in St.
Mariely Ferraro, 40, a heart monitor technician living in Orlando, contracted Covid-19 7 weeks ago.
`I think the situation in Florida is scary,` she said.
Ferraro’s entire family was infected with nCoV late last month, but she was the only one who got sick.
`nCoV is affecting everyone. People are against wearing masks because they think it’s unnecessary. It’s not. It’s terrible to wake up and find you can’t breathe or have a headache that won’t go away, no matter how much medicine you take.`
Shamarial Roberson, deputy director of the Florida Department of Health, said in an interview on June 28 that the state is monitoring the number of hospitalizations and intensive care unit bed capacity, as well as the problem in each area.
`We are working to ensure that if we detect a mutation, we will stay in contact with the hospital systems in these areas to ensure they have enough capacity to treat them,` she said.
Rose Castanon, 35 years old, works in the business side of a hospital chain in Orlando, was discovered positive on June 18, after her gym discovered an infected customer.
`I’ve known almost 10 people who tested positive,` she said.
Jeanette Matas, 41, a reading teacher in Corla Gables, doesn’t dare visit her 95-year-old grandmother for fear of infecting her.
`You can’t blame them when they feel trapped,` Matas said of those who lost patience with staying indoors and started going out.
Now, Matas is wondering what to do with her two children when school begins to open.
`Parents are scared, teachers are scared,` she said.
