GAINSWave Therapy in Northdale, FL

The Centers for Disease Control confirmed a summer increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Florida and elsewhere in the country.

FLORIDA — Data published this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to a summer increase in COVID-19 cases in Florida and elsewhere around the country.

The data shows COVID-19 hospitalizations were up 12 percent nationwide, and that emergency room visits and test positivity also increased in what health officials say is the greatest spike in COVID hospitalizations since last winter. Independent laboratories have also noted an increase in COVID-19 test positivity, CNN reported.

Data from the Florida Health Department, posted Aug. 4 and current as of July 28, showed a steady increase in COVID-19 cases since the first week in June. The state had 15,170 cases, a 59 percent increase in the number of cases from the first of July to the end of the month.

Out of Florida's total population of 22.6 million, the CDC said there ae 67.0 cases for every 100,000 residents.

Summer travel outside usual social circles, record heat that keeps people indoors and waning immunity are possible reasons for the uptick in cases. CDC data shows the number of Americans who are up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations is decreasing, and health officials say the low number of cases means people aren't developing enough antibodies compared to previous infections.

The CDC said about 11 percent of Floridians, or 2.5 million people, have received an updated COVID booster vaccination. Importantly, the mild spike in cases is from an already low level of cases. Health experts expect the wave to be far less intense than in previous summers, and aren’t sure how long it will last.

Wastewater surveillance data suggests new COVID-19 cases are already leveling off, but much of the data public health officials have used to track trends was scaled back when the federal health emergency ended in May.

The last time so little data was available was in the early days of the pandemic, Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told CNN.

That makes it difficult to “know what lies ahead,” Rivers said. “So it may yet peter out.”

Rivers noted that it is encouraging the increase doesn’t appear to have been driven by the emergence of a new variant.

Some U.S. counties are seeing much higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Two counties in Texas saw a 250 percent increase with 14 new people hospitalized — a “high” rate given their small populations, according to the CDC classification.

Other areas with higher numbers of cases are in southeast Texas, northeastern Oregon, central Oklahoma, Hawaii County, and southern Nebraska, as well as in Mohave County, Arizona, and Colquitt County, Georgia.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

In central FL, leprosy is at an endemic level as cases of the disease, which affects the skin and peripheral nervous system, rise, CDC said.

Posted Tue, Aug 1, 2023 at 3:10 pm ET|

FLORIDA — Leprosy cases are on the rise in Florida, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is considered endemic, meaning it is regularly present in the region.

Also known as Hansen disease, the chronic infectious disease is caused by acid-fast rod Mycobacterium leprae, and primarily affects the skin and the peripheral nervous system.

While rare in the U.S., there’s been “a gradual increase” of the disease in recent years, the report said. In 2020, 159 cases were reported nationally with Florida among the states with the highest number of cases. And the number of cases in the Southeast has more than doubled.

In 2021, there were 14 cases reported in Florida, the majority of them - five of them - found in Brevard County. Single cases were also reported in Broward, Charlotte, Duval, Hillsborough, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Johns and Seminole counties, according to the FHC website.

Cases were also found in California, Louisiana, Hawaii, New York and Texas in 2020.

About 34 percent of all new leprosy cases reported from 2015 to 2020 were locally acquired, rather than being connected to travel from areas known for the disease, the CDC said.

Several cases in Central Florida demonstrated no clear evidence of zoonotic exposure or traditionally known risk factors.

In one case, a 54-year-old central Florida man went to a dermatology clinic “for a painful and progressive erythematous rash,” the report said. The lesions first appeared on his hands before spreading to his face and body.

“He denied any domestic or foreign travel, exposure to armadillos, prolonged contact with immigrants from leprosy-endemic countries or connections with someone known to have leprosy. He has resided in central Florida his entire life, works in landscaping, and spends long periods of time outdoors,” the report said.

Biopsies confirmed had leprosy and he was treated by a specialist and prescribed a triple-therapy treatment under the direction of the national Hansen’s Disease Program.

The CDC said that further research into the transmission of the disease is warranted, based on analysis of recent cases.

Medical professionals in Florida are required to report leprosy cases in the state by the next business day. Contact tracing is used to identify sources and reduce transmission of the disease, the CDC said.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

Habitat loss to development, overuse of pesticides, climate change and more light pollution contribute to the decline in fireflies in FL.

FLORIDA — Fireflies should be lighting up Florida’s back yards, fields, marshes and forests soon — or will they? Sometimes called lightning bugs or glow worms, fireflies are disappearing around the country and worldwide.

“And if it continues, fireflies may fade forever, leaving our summer nights a little darker and less magical,” warns Firefly Conservation & Research, a nonprofit founded in 2009 by firefly researcher Ben Pfeiffer after he noticed fireflies were disappearing from southern Texas.

There are about 170 species of these so-called jewels of the night in North America, and although populations vary by region, they’re found in every U.S. state except Hawaii, according to the Brandywine Conservancy.

Not only is Florida home to 33 to 53 species of fireflies.

In dark areas near waterways with tall grasses, shrubs, or trees, you can spot Florida fireflies, says the University of Florida Extension Service. With increasing urbanization, there are fewer and fewer locations to view nature’s bioluminescent show.

Florida State Parks remain a haven for fireflies. Parks that offer camping or have firefly tours open to the public after sunset are a great place to look for fireflies in late spring and throughout summer.

Blue Spring State Park and Friends of Highlands Hammock State Park offer firefly tours annually, usually around March or April. Blue Spring’s firefly event is open for two weeks, varying in March and April, depending on the first firefly sightings of the season. This year the tour was a one-hour self-guided tour. In addition, guests could walk down the firefly trail to see nature’s light show. In the past, the Highland Hammock tours were offered as tram tours for a small entry fee, park admission was waived if you entered at sunset as a registered tram tour guest.

Habitat loss to development, overuse of pesticides, climate change and increased light pollution are behind the declining firefly populations, though some species are more at risk than others, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species. Of 128 species considered for the Red List, 11 percent are threatened with extinction and 2 percent are near threatened.

Here’s what you can do to help keep the magic in summer nights:

Turn The Lights Down Low

Actually, to set the mood for fireflies, turn off porch lights and other outdoor lighting entirely. Scientists are still learning about firefly behavior, but it appears likely artificial lighting can disrupt fireflies’ flashes, which help them find mates and breed. Improve their chances by drawing blinds and curtains, so interior light doesn’t intrude on your yard.

Because fireflies thrive in standing water and marshy areas, create a water feature in your landscaping. Even a small pond or stream will attract fireflies.

Individuals can make a difference, but the greater power is in organizing a community-wide effort to allow a little wildness to prevail on their properties, according to Firefly Conservation & Research.

If You See Something, Say Something

Pfeiffer’s organization also recommends submitting sightings of fireflies to iNaturalist, which has apps at the App Store for iPhone users or Google Play for Android users. Firefly light organs are on the underside (ventral) of the firefly.

If possible, document the flash pattern — the interval of flashes per second — as well as the color of the flash, the date and time of night, the geographic location where the firefly was seen, and the type of habitat where the fireflies were seen.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

A 2nd round of Disney layoffs are under way and will last through Thursday at the entertainment giant with parks in Florida and California.

Deb Belt, Patch Staff

ORLANDO, FL — Thousands of Disney workers are being laid off this week in the entertainment giant's second round of mass layoffs this spring.

The layoffs began Monday and will last through Thursday as part of the media company's previously announced plan to cut its workforce by 7,000 employees.

It's unclear if Florida employees will be affected. No WARN Notices from Disney show on the state's dashboard.

The cuts are expected to bring the number of jobs lost across the country to 4,000 according to media reports. The layoffs are not expected to affect hourly workers at Disney's theme parks and resorts.

A third and final wave of layoffs are expected in the beginning of summer and bring the total number of layoffs to around 7,000.

Disney had about 220,000 workers as of Oct. 1, about 160,000 of those in the United States. The job cuts amount to about 3 percent of the entertainment giant's global workforce and were announced after Disney reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street’s forecasts.

Disney began laying off thousands of workers at the end of March.

"The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly," Iger said in a memo to staff last month. "In tough moments, we must always do what is required to ensure Disney can continue delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and guests around the world — now, and long into the future."

Disney's streaming competitors such as Netflix have been shedding hundreds of jobs since the summer. Tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Twitter and Meta have laid off tens of thousands of employees in the last six months. Meta layoff announcements were rewarded by the stock market. Meta’s stock value surged 20 percent in the wake of its initial cost-cutting moves.

The possibility of layoffs at Disney seemed likely with Iger regaining his footing in the CEO's office following the surprise ouster of CEO Bob Chapek in November.

Iger sought to soften the blow in his memo to employees.

"This company is home to the most talented and dedicated employees in the world, and so many of you bring a lifelong passion for Disney to your work here," he wrote. "That’s part of what makes working at Disney so special. It also makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye to wonderful people we care about."

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

Play/Pause

Mute/Unmute

Embed video

Playback Speed

Video Quality

Embed video

Copy the code below to embed the video.

<div _="@=1390,dis=none"><div _="@=1391,dis=none"></div></div> Copy

Playback Speed

2

1.75

1.50

1.25

Normal

0.50

Video Quality

Play/Pause >>

Mute/Unmute

0:00 / 0:00

Settings Closed Captions Picture in Picture Cast Fullscreen

Play/Pause >>

Mute/Unmute

0:00 / 0:00

Settings Closed Captions Cast Fullscreen

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Flamethrowers and live ammunition exploding in a Northdale home engulfed in flames sent firefighters running for cover on Monday night.

Crews responded to 16311 Norwood Dr. just after 7 p.m. Monday after a neighbor called 911 after smelling smoke and seeing flames coming from the house next door.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue firefighters had to duck for cover as explosions started going off in the home.

As firefighters went into the home, they had to get out when they realized it wasn't safe.

According to the Hillsborough County arrest log, a man was arrested at a house nearby on unrelated charges. Patrick "Pat" O'Brien, 53, was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday night and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. He is being held with no bond at this time. O'Brien is the lead guitarist for the death metal band Cannibal Corpse. O'Brien lived at the Norwood home where the fire started, according to deputies.

Death metal guitarist arrested for breaking into Northdale home, running toward deputy with knife

"Very scary, I was thinking 'my house it’s going to go if they don’t hurry up and get here' but they saved our house and we don’t have any damage or anything," neighbor Tammy Lay said.

On Tuesday morning, deputies moved news crews back 300 feet and evacuated six homes around the house because of "something that's inside the home."

Hillsborough Fire is investigating the scene and working to determine a cause of the fire.

ABC Action News' Kelly Bazzle and Sean O'Reilly contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Report a typo