A few weeks ago, the temperature in Quebec City Canada dropped to -5 degrees F while in Fort Lauderdale the temperature reached 86 degrees F. Two vaccines (Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19) were approved and already being given to health care providers in Florida.
There have been at least 481,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Canada, according to the Public Health Agency. As of December 17, 2020, at least 13,799 people had died in Canada. In the Province of Quebec, there were 171,028 confirmed cases with 1,002 hospitalization and 7,635 death. There were also 2,582 doses of vaccine administered.
In Ontario, the number of hospitalized patients rose 97% in a month recently and Premier Doug Ford warned that intensive care units could be overrun in December if things did not change. Therefore, the recent increase in virus cases is not limited to Florida and is also occurring in parts of Canada.
Florida is receiving 179,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is going to five Florida hospital systems, including Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami-Dade County and Memorial Regional Hospital in Broward County. This South Florida area is the most popular area for Canadian tourists from Quebec and the vaccine will also be available to Canadian snowbirds (65 years and older) in Florida, the same as for older Americans in Florida.
Each year, thousands of residents from Canadian cities leave their homes to escape the cold of winter and head south to Florida for extended stays that often last into the early spring. In the past they came by planes, trains, cars, motor coaches and RVs. This year the Canadian-U.S. border is closed except that Canadians can still fly to Florida in spite of the border closing. They also can have their car transported to Florida by train or van.
While there is various restriction in both countries affecting restaurants, bars, gyms, and use of various facilities in condominiums and mobile home parks, it is more attractive being in Florida in 80 degree F than in a snow storm and freezing weather in Canada. The recent large snow storms up north is a fresh reminder of that. Because of this, a larger number of Canadians than previously expected will be coming to Florida in January, February and March of 2021.
