Social distancing is working and a First Coast doctor said Friday it's credited with helping Jacksonville and Florida in flattening the coronavirus curve.
"All it took is for us to socially distance and do some of the things we've done to keep the health care system open for other people who may need it," Dr. Sunil Joshi said in a Facebook post.
Joshi, president of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation, displayed a bar graph in the Facebook post showing the last month of COVID-19 cases in Florida. "You see the numbers went up, but there wasn't that big peek ... it went up and now the curve is flattening down. That's exactly what we wanted to see happen here in Florida," said Joshi, . "...we haven't seen the hospitals overwhelmed. We know people are going to be exposed and infected, but not let it spike so high that it completely destroys the health care system. Here in Florida, I think we've done a good job with that.
"Here in Jacksonville it's the same story ... we've reached our peak, in terms of number of positive tests, on April 6 and we have trended down since then," Joshi said holding up a graph of Jacksonville's COVID-19 infections. "This is a very good example of flattening the curve. Our hospitals in northeast Florida are not near capacity so we've done a tremendous job keeping people out of the hospital."
Joshi, who is also president of the Family Allergy & Consultants, credits his fellow medical professionals and the many people who stayed home to stave off a pandemic.
"It certainly has taken its toll on the economy ... it's worth it," Joshi said, "... the big picture, we're keeping people healthy and safe and I think that's we're we have seen great success through parts of the country, but here in Florida in particular."