'Stuff of nightmares': Epidemiologist warns of potentially 'catastrophic' Florida COVID-19 surge

An epidemiologist told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Thursday that she is very worried about the surge in COVID-19 cases happening in Florida.

Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said that she's been watching with alarm as Florida's confirmed COVID-19 infections keep growing at a record-setting pace.

"Florida has already made the stuff of nightmares for me and many infectious disease people when it comes to COVID-19," she said. "Part of the reason I'm really concerned is that Florida has a lot of older people, right? And we know very, very well that age and coexisting conditions -- like cardiovascular disease, like lung disease, like diabetes -- are the prime predictors for hospitalization and for mortality with this virus."

She also said that the large number of nursing homes in Florida would leave the state highly vulnerable to a large-scale outbreak that could quickly spiral out of control.

"The potential for the virus to take off there is very, very nerve-racking and could have catastrophic consequences," she said.

Watch the video below.