Sarasota COVID hospitalization numbers rising heraldtribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldtribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
After a record-breaking January for new coronavirus cases, February has brought a significant decline in new infections and hospitalizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The average daily number of new cases over the last week is less than half of what it was during the January peak, and the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the two county region is down by 43%.
The positive trends likely are largely the result of less risky behavior after the holiday season.
But with vaccination levels still relatively low, infection levels still relatively high, the potential for Super Bowl gatherings to boost infections and new, more contagious, strains of the virus proliferating, there is still reason to be cautious.