Fort Lauderdale Airport Bustling This Labor Day, Which Has Health Experts Worried About COVID Spread

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was bustling on Labor Day.

This holiday weekend, which is a notorious one for travel, is a concern among health officials.

"If you're unvaccinated we would recommend not traveling," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Passengers at the airport tell CBS4 News that they're protected.

"We are fully vaccinated so that gives us more courage to get out there and vacation like before the pandemic but we're still a little afraid," said Loudes Okeke, visiting from Georgia.

Some passengers hope everyone is doing their part to end the pandemic.

"I do feel that people have to do their due diligence - we're all in this together and if we want to move forward and travel even more, we have to work together," said Josephine Casello, who arrived back home in South Florida.

The push for vaccines continues as hospitals nationwide are being pushed to their limits and as the contagious delta variant spreads.

Florida International University infectious disease specialist Dr. Aileen Marty said a third vaccine dose may have been needed all along.

"If you don't have the highest level of protection and you allow for some degree of transmission to go on - because you haven't attained that higher level of protection then you are always going to be slipping back and forth," said Dr. Marty.

The CDC has flagged Broward and Miami-Dade counties for a high community transmission rate of COVID-19.

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