The state of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 7,363 new cases Sunday, continuing a trend that will push the state past the 1 million case mark for the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As it is, Florida has 992,660 total cases. The 58 resident deaths and one non-resident death reported mean 18,500 Floridians and 18,736 people overall have died in Florida with COVID-19 as the main cause.
While the daily case numbers reestablished residence a few floors above where they were a month ago and current hospitalizations keep climbing, the positive test rates edge downward.
Sunday’s 7.85% was the highest single day positive percentage the state’s reported since Nov. 17. But, the average daily positive test rate in the state over the last seven days has been 7.07% after being 7.69% for the seven days before that.
South Florida accounts for almost 44% of the new cases.
COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Florida counties
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 2,024 more people who tested positive and 11 more COVID-19 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 227,656 cases and 3,834 deaths. The state’s county-by-county breakdown says the average daily positive test rate started falling, from 8.44 for Nov. 15 through 21 to 7.73 from Nov. 22 through Saturday.
▪ Broward County reported another 821 cases and seven deaths, moving its totals to 106,698 cases and 1,659 deaths. Broward’s average daily positive test rate decreased from 7.36% for Nov. 15 through Nov. 21 to 6.58% for the last seven days.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 341 new cases (65,011 for the pandemic), but zero deaths (still 1,678). And the average daily positive test rate took another healthy drop significantly to 6.19 last week to 7.66% the previous seven days.
▪ Monroe County reported 32 new cases and zero deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 3,353 cases and 27 deaths.
Current hospitalizations
Government officials use current hospitalizations to decide the next action in dealing with the pandemic. On the state level, this has been steadily falling over the last month.
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The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration reports the number of patients hospitalized statewide with a “primary diagnosis of COVID.” The data, which is updated at least every hour, does not distinguish between the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital intensive care units and those in acute-care beds, which require less attention from nurses.
As of 12:16 p.m. Sunday, the AHCA said there were 4,050 people currently hospitalized, a jump of 123 from 9:30 p.m. Saturday and a sharp rise of 437 from a week ago. Compared to Saturday, Miami-Dade was up 23 to 621; Broward was up 11 to 405; Palm Beach was down six to 279 and Monroe was up one to nine.
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