Florida has deadliest day with 72 COVID-19 deaths, 34 in Miami-Dade, surpasses 21,500 cases
Florida and Miami-Dade saw their deadliest day Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, as 72 more people died statewide and 34 died in the county since Monday evening, state health officials said Tuesday night.
The deaths came as the Florida Department of Health on Tuesday evening reported 609 additional cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, bringing the state total to 21,628 confirmed cases. The state’s death toll rose to 571, a 14 percent increase over Monday night’s death toll of 499..
Of the 72 new deaths reported Tuesday evening, 49 were in South Florida.
▪ Thirty-four people between the ages of 33 and 95 died in Miami-Dade County, raising the county’s death toll to 143 — the highest in the state.
According to John Hopkins University of Medicine, Miami-Dade is the 12th county in the country with the most coronavirus cases. Miami-Dade had 7,712 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday evening, the state health department reported.
It’s unclear if the 33-year-old woman referenced in Tuesday’s Miami-Dade death count is Danielle Dicenso, an ICU nurse at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, who died last week from possible COVID-19 complications.
Her husband says the 33-year-old nurse, who was caring for COVID-19 patients, became ill last month with symptoms associated with the disease. Her test results at the time were “inconclusive.”
Dicenso’s family believes she died from COVID-19 but told reporters they were awaiting the results from the medical examiner’s office.
Health officials did not disclose whether the 33-year-old woman referenced in the death count had any contact with someone who had tested positive for the disease.
In Broward, two women and two men ranging in age from 69 to 86 have died, raising the county death toll to 81, according to health records.
In Palm Beach, 11 people have died, including seven men and four women ranging in age from 61 to 93. The county’s death toll is 103.
The other 23 deaths were in Bay, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, St. Lucie and Suwannee counties.
Of the state’s new confirmed cases, 247 are Florida residents and 14 are non-residents who were diagnosed or isolated in the state. Of the total statewide confirmed cases, 20,984 are Florida residents and 644 are non-residents.
The state also had 2,390 hospitalizations related to COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening. The statewide and county-level data for COVID-19 hospitalizations includes anyone who was hospitalized during their illness and “does not reflect the number of people currently hospitalized,” according to Florida’s Department of Health.
The department says it does not “have a figure” to reflect current hospitalization data.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases at Florida long-term care facilities
Overnight, the number of employees and residents with COVID-19 at Florida’s long-term care facilities jumped from 962 to 1,179 — up 217 cases since Monday night.
More than 300 of those cases are at facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward, where the first deaths were announced at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale.
On Tuesday, the Court at Palm Aire, a senior living community and skilled nursing center in Pompano Beach, said two residents had died from COVID-19 in its skilled nursing unit.
Despite the threat of a public records lawsuit that would force the state to divulge the names of all facilities that have had a positive test for COVID-19, the state has not yet been forthcoming.
The governor’s office initially named one facility: Atria Willow Wood, a 180-bed ALF in Fort Lauderdale where at least six residents have died.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Florida
As of Tuesday evening, here’s what Florida’s Department of Health data shows:
Miami-Dade County saw 157 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the county total to 7,712. Those who have fallen ill range from 0 to 103. (Those in the zero age range are less than 1 year old.) Health officials say 7,639 are residents, 72 are non-residents and one is a resident who is not in Florida. The county has had 644 hospitalizations and 143 deaths, the highest death toll in Florida.
Broward County reported 18 additional confirmed cases of the disease, raising the county total of confirmed cases to 3,261. Those who have fallen ill range from of 0 to 99. (Those in the zero age range are less than 1 year old.) Health officials say 3,147 are residents and 114 are non-residents. The county has had 81 deaths and 518 hospitalizations.
Palm Beach County had 13 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the county total to 1,740. Those who have fallen ill range from 0 to 104. (Those in the zero age range are less than 1 year old.) Health officials say 1,688 are residents, 50 are non-residents and two are residents who are not in Florida. The county has had 307 hospitalizations and 103 deaths.
Monroe County did not report any additional cases of COVID-19. The county has 64 confirmed cases of the disease. Those who have fallen ill range from 14 to 80. Health officials say 58 are residents and six are non-residents. The Florida Keys has had three deaths and nine hospitalizations.
Miami Herald staff writer Samantha Gross contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 11:53 AM.
