Florida announces 7,773 people have caught the coronavirus, as death toll surpasses 100

As Florida’s governor finally issued a blanket “stay-at-home” order to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the number of diagnosed cases in the state hit 7,773 on Wednesday, while the number of deaths reached triple digits for the first time.

The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday said 101 people have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the highly contagious respiratory virus responsible for a global pandemic. The number represented 14 new deaths from earlier in the day.

The number of diagnosed cases jumped by more than 800 statewide from Wednesday morning to the evening, a sign that increased testing is identifying the ill while the virus continues to spread.

In Broward County, as of Wednesday night, there were 1,348 diagnosed cases with 13 deaths. In Palm Beach County, there were 616 cases. And with six new deaths reported Wednesday, the county tallied 22 dead, the highest number in the state.

In Miami-Dade, the epicenter of the state’s coronavirus outbreak, there were 2,416 cases — with 11 dead. Nineteen percent of those being tested have the disease, according to the health department.

The bleak numbers were published as Gov. Ron DeSantis, after weeks of pressure, said he was ordering all of Florida to shutdown — except for essential services — for the next 30 days to try to thwart the viral spread into other parts of the state. The order goes into effect April 3 at 12:01 a.m.

Miami-Dade and Broward have already ordered residents to stay at home.

In Miami-Dade, the infected now includes someone who had been staying at a Miami-Dade homeless shelter. The Miami-Dade Homeless Trust said Wednesday that it was the first such case at a county shelter.

The person has been placed in isolation and is receiving medical care as officials work to also separate people who came into contact with him or her. Two other homeless people, who are staying in separate housing provided by the trust, have also tested positive for COVID-19 and remain at their homes recovering.

The Homeless Trust has been grappling with how to contain the spread of the virus among the county’s large and transient homeless population. More than 1,000 homeless people remain without shelter and on the streets, where practicing proper hygiene is incredibly difficult.

According to the trust, more than 2,500 homeless people are in area shelters — where the virus can spread quickly in the close quarters.

Among other developments on Wednesday:

▪ Miami-Dade adult daycare centers catering to people with Alzheimer’s and other intense needs must close by the weekend under a new emergency order by Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

Gimenez announced the new rules late Tuesday, posting a signed order stating all adult daycare centers in the county — including those located within cities — must close by 11:59 p.m. Friday.

▪ Rolling Loud, one of the most popular hip-hop music festivals and is held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, has been rescheduled for February 2021. The show had been scheduled for this May.

Festival officials announced the postponement via social media late Wednesday afternoon, saying they worked “around the clock” before deciding to move it to Presidents’ Day weekend on Feb. 12-14, 2021.

▪ The top health official in the Florida Keys said Wednesday he wants to test more residents for the coronavirus, but supply and personnel issues are standing in the way.

Bob Eadie, administrator of the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County, said during a conference call with government officials and business leaders that he is planning to open community testing sites to the public, especially in the Upper and Lower Keys, but they are proving difficult to start.

He said he needs more manpower and protective gear for those administering the tests.

“Those larger sites are going to take a while to put together,” he said.

▪ The Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital this week began a policy asking employees to use N95 masks for at least one week, unless they are treating patients, or their masks become soiled.

Federal inspectors last month found that Miami’s VA lacked adequate supplies and equipment, including the critical N95 surgical masks for healthcare staff and other employees.

The potential shortage has not been fully tested because of the relatively low number of Miami VA patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

▪ Some South Florida cities, condos, and businesses say they are reining in valet service to minimize the spread of the coronavirus through people touching fobs, steering wheels, and car-door handles.

“There is no playbook for this,” said James Baum, general manager of Icon Brickell Master Association, which shut down the valet operation for the 1,800-unit complex.

“Once we started seeing the numbers and how this is spreading we made the decision,” he said. All residents now self-park. If someone is visiting, they have to park in a nearby lot.

Most hospitals also have suspended valet service — including Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Jackson Memorial and UHealth in Miami, and Memorial Healthcare in Broward.

▪ Miami-Dade County is reducing hours for the Metrorail and the Metromover again as ridership has dropped by more than 60%..

Starting Saturday, Metrorail and Metromover will run 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, ending two hours earlier than they have been. Riders who need transit after 10 p.m. can use Metrobus Routes 246 and 500.

Miami Herald Staff Writers Carli Teproff, Howard Cohen, C. Isaiah Smalls, David Goodhue, Gwen Filosa, Joey Flechas, and Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 8:35 PM.