Experts estimate 35% increase in year-end travel in U.S.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Despite the risks of the pandemic, Deana Martin is among the increasing number of Americans who feel comfortable traveling this December.

According to Martin, she was flying back from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday after enjoying time on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.

“You have to wear a mask almost everywhere you go and I have been fully vaccinated,” Martin said.

Experts with AAA estimate more than 100 million Americans will be traveling at least 50 miles away from home from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2. In Florida, this would mean a 35% increase from last year.

With Pfizer’s yet to be approved five-day treatment of 30 pills, options to reduce hospitalization and death over COVID-19 continue to increase. The company claims that when taken within three days of diagnosis it can reduce the risk of severe disease by 89%.

“This is a game-changer,” said Dr. Dushyantha T. Jayaweera, a University of Miami professor, adding prevention measures such as vaccination, face masks, and social distancing continue to be the best defense.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began about 800,000 people, including more than 62,000 in Florida have died of COVID-19 in the United States.

As researchers focus on understanding the omicron variant, the delta variant continues to make up for almost all of the cases in the U.S.