ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida still tops the nation when it comes to reported cases of COVID-19 variants, and even that number of more than 2,400 is incomplete because the state’s health labs are only checking a fraction of COVID samples for mutations.

Now AdventHealth is using genomic sequencing to test for these variants, too. It is sequencing a subset of its coronavirus samples to check for variants so it can get a look at how prevalent they are across its Central Florida footprint.

What You Need To Know

  • Florida leads U.S. in reported COVID-19 variant cases with more than 2,400 

  • That number likely does not include all the cases

  • AdventHealth using genomic sequencing to try to learn where cases will pop up next

  • Results of the study so far have not been released yet

That data, top doctors there say, can help predict where more infections may pop up, which in turn can help communities plan for that.

Michigan, trailing Florida by more than 1,100 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control, is the No. 2 state.

Dr. Wes Walker of AdventHealth’s genomics program said, as a whole, there needs to be more genomic sequencing — so we can get a clearer picture of where we stand.

“The more sequencing we can do in terms of genomic surveillance, the more beneficial it’ll be for us to understand what’s happening in Florida and across the nation,” Walker said.

AdventHealth still is sequencing those COVID samples, so it hasn’t released any results just yet.

When it comes to protecting against the variants, just like with the coronavirus, doctors recommend masking up, social distancing, and getting vaccinated when eligible.