Florida reports more than 8,500 new cases of COVID-19 and 73 new deaths
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida reported 8,555 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, continuing an upward trend in the spread of the virus this month ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The state also reported 73 new deaths on Tuesday.
Since the pandemic began, 953,300 Florida residents and non-residents have been infected with COVID-19. The death toll, including non-residents, stands at 18,383.
As cases have trended higher in recent weeks, so have hospitalizations. The spike indicates South Florida is likely experiencing the same surge that is occurring across the nation.
Statewide, 3,780 patients were hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, up from 3,758 on Monday, according to the Florida Agency on Healthcare Administration.
SOUTH FLORIDA
Broward County: 891 additional cases and one more death. Broward has a known total of 102,638 cases and 1,659 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Palm Beach County: 419 additional cases and four more deaths. The county now has 62,697 confirmed cases and 1,687 deaths.
Miami-Dade County: 1,852 additional cases and seven new deaths. The county now has 218,294 confirmed cases and 3,811 deaths.
TESTING AND POSITIVITY RATES
Public health experts say the virus is considered under control when the COVID-19 test positivity rate is under 5%. Florida exceeds 5% by both of its measures of assessing the rate for testing of residents.
In the first calculation, the state reported a daily positivity rate of 7.47%, up from 7.02% the day before. This method of calculating positivity counts new infections only, but also counts repeat negative tests, which skews the figure downward.
According to the state, Tuesday’s new case numbers reflect the results of 108,939 COVID-19 tests of Florida residents received from labs in the past day, up from 86,955 results reported Monday.
In the second calculation, which includes retests of people who were previously diagnosed, the statewide daily positivity rate is 9.20% based on the latest results for 108,939 residents. That’s up from 8.92% the previous day.
Broward County: Test results for 11,854 residents were reported Tuesday, leading to a daily positivity rate of 6.86%. That’s up from 6.36% the previous day.
Palm Beach County: Test results for 6,275 residents were reported on Tuesday, leading to a daily positivity rate of 6.01%, down from 6.42% the previous day.
Miami-Dade County: Test results for 21,307 residents were reported Tuesday, leading to a daily positivity rate of 7.73%, up from 7.15% the previous day.
DEATHS
Statewide: The state’s pandemic data report shows a total of 18,157 Floridians have died from COVID-19. In addition, 226 non-residents have died, bringing the total number of deaths to 18,383.
Florida has the fourth-highest total of COVID-19 deaths among the states, behind New York, Texas and California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Florida’s death rate since the pandemic began ranks 14th among the nation, tied with South Carolina, at 84 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC reports. That’s higher than the national rate of 78 deaths per 100,000.
Long-term-care facilities: At least 7,188 residents and staff have died at nursing homes and assisted-living centers throughout Florida as of Tuesday. That’s another 22 deaths since Monday.
Miami-Dade County reported the highest number of deaths at long-term-care facilities, with 860. Palm Beach County was second with 750. Broward has reported 465 deaths.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 3,780 people were hospitalized in Florida with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration. That’s an increase of 22 patients in 24 hours.
In South Florida, Broward County reported 387, up by five; Palm Beach County had 270, up by four; and Miami-Dade had the most in the state with 535, an increase of three.
Hospitalizations hit a peak in late July of about 9,500 patients statewide.
Since the pandemic began, 53,827 residents have been hospitalized for the disease, according to the state health department.
NATIONAL AND GLOBAL VIEW
U.S.: More than 12.5 million people in the United States have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 258,827 have died as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 dashboard.
World: More than 59.5 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 and 1.4 million people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins says. The U.S. has had the most COVID-19 cases and deaths of any country. The U.S. has 4.3% of the world’s population, but 20.83% of the world’s cases and 18.5% of the world’s deaths.
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