ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Spring break couldn't have come at a better time for Florida.
"People can start really thinking about getting their lives back," said Dr. Tom Unnasch with USF Public Health.
Florida's COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are at an all-time low. Mathematical modelers say the numbers peaked in the first week of 2022.
"We might be entering into a long drawn phase of very low infection levels. What is keeping it in check is, there's a lot of immunity in the population," Dr. Edwin Michael, Mathematical Modeler with USF Health, said.
Data from the CDC shows 81.5% of the state's population has at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That plus immunity from infection got Florida where it is now.
"We got here because everyone got overgrown, so we didn't prevent very much cases," said Dr. Jill Roberts an epidemiologist with USF Public Health. "I think it was just so incredibly transmissible, that so many people got it, eventually, the virus couldn't find any new hosts."
Compared to last year when transmission of the virus was high, immunity is keeping the community safe this time around.
Forecasts show they won't see an uptick in numbers for months. Still, doctors are watching Europe for signs of what could happen here.
"Many countries in Europe, are now beginning to show resurgences. If you look at Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, all of them are showing resurgences. That is a warning for us," Michael said.
Data shows if a new variant makes its way here, cases could rise in October.
"We don't know. That's on the horizon, we just don't know," Michael said.