As Florida's summer coronavirus surge takes the state into the fall with one of the nation's highest rates of infections and hospitalizations, a physician in South Miami has told patients that she can no longer see them in person for their regular care if they are unvaccinated. Linda Marraccini, a primary care doctor specializing in family medicine, sent a letter to her patients this month informing them that they could not be treated in person if they were not vaccinated by Sept. 15, according to WTVJ. She said she could still treat unvaccinated patients via telemedicine if they refused to get inoculated at a time when the highly transmissible delta variant of the novel coronavirus has ravaged the state. "We will no longer subject our patients and staff to unnecessary risk," Marraccini wrote to patients, noting that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is now fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration. "This is a public health emergency – the health of the public takes priority over the rights of any given individual in this situation. It appears that there is a lack of selflessness and concern for the burden on the health and well-being of our society from our encounters." Marraccini, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, told WTVJ that the decision was based on science and not politics. She said she does not want to potentially expose immunocompromised patients to the virus or further stress the state's hospital system. "I understand that people are free to choose, but to me, it's a problem when it affects other people," said Marraccini, who has been practicing since 1982. Florida is still struggling with infections that have overwhelmed hospitals across the state, reporting more than 46,000 new cases of infection over the holiday weekend, according to data compiled by The Washington Post. While the state appears to be turning the corner, with a seven-day average for new infections that has dropped by 18 percent, Florida is still reporting a daily average of 17,570 coronavirus infections. The state announced Monday that more than 1,000 covid deaths were reported over the weekend. Nearly 13,800 people are hospitalized for covid in the state, with 3,183 occupying beds in intensive care units – second in the nation behind Texas. Nearly 54 percent of the state is fully vaccinated, which is now slightly higher than the nation's vaccination rate.