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Florida representative suffers long-term effect of COVID-19

Rep. Randy Fine reveals infection, Brevard County sees cases spike

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County is one of the spots in Florida seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Leaders said the county is matching peak infection levels seen during the height of the pandemic. According to the Florida Department of Health, about 1,400 cases were reported last week, compared to 246 cases the week of June 3.

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One state lawmaker is sharing his health struggles after getting COVID-19.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, said he now has to get surgery because of a complication from the virus.

Fine told his Facebook followers Thursday it had been exactly a year since he got sick.

Health First doctors told Fine he could have died.

Long since his recovery, the 47-year-old revealed that he now has an infection to an unrelated injury from 20 years ago.

Fine said his doctor told him the infection to his shoulder came from COVID-19.

“At some point, I’m going to have to go and get this surgery that I’m dreading and then have IV antibiotics and have to go through physical therapy and everything else for something that would not have happened, if I hadn’t gotten COVID,” Fine said.

Epidemiologist Barry Inman is the Brevard County health department’s infectious disease expert.

The county continues to recommend the unvaccinated get the shot.

When the vaccine rolled out this year, the demand was greater than the supply.

Now, the DOH in Brevard County says it’s the opposite.

“They’re still coming in but the frequency has dramatically decreased,” Inman said. “We’re concerned about more hospitalizations, possibly more deaths and then more outbreaks, of course, that we have in the community.”

The health department said the most recent death was just in the past week.

“And if you still don’t want to get the vaccine, that’s up to you, but I hope that you’ll do it,” Fine said. “And I hope that by doing it, we can tamp these numbers down.”

In response to those numbers, Health First said starting Friday, its hospitals will not accept visitors for COVID-19 patients unless those patients are dying or giving birth.

Health First said no children will be allowed to visit COVID-19 patients under any circumstances.