Miami-Dade passes 10,000 cases, 1,000 hospitalizations as DeSantis says curve is flattening
As Florida nears 28,000 novel coronavirus cases, Miami-Dade County has become the first county in the state to surpass 10,000 cases and exceed 1,000 hospitalizations, according to the Florida Department of Health’s Tuesday evening report.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a Tuesday press conference, said the state’s coronavirus curve has flattened.
Since Monday evening, the state has seen 811 more cases and 44 new deaths, bringing the statewide case total to 27,869 and the statewide death toll to 867. Health officials reported 374 more cases and 28 new deaths since Tuesday morning.
Of the 44 new deaths, 23 came from South Florida.
Miami-Dade County saw 10 new deaths and registered 10,056 confirmed cases and 1,029 hospitalizations. The county has the state’s highest death toll at 233.
The 10 new deaths included six men ranging in age from 52 to 90 and four women between the ages of 38 and 80, according to the health department.
Broward County saw four new deaths, which included a 40-year-old woman and three men between the ages of 56 and 93.
Palm Beach County saw nine more people die due to the virus since Monday night, including a 93-year-old woman and eight men between the ages of 62 and 93.
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 health agency does not “have a figure” to reflect current hospitalization data.
Health officials say the state has had 4,226 hospitalizations relating to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Of the total confirmed cases statewide, 27,127 are Florida residents and 742 are non-residents.
The number of new coronavirus cases reported by the Florida Department of Health has been volatile over the past month. Although DeSantis says the state is seeing a flattening, case data since March may not be complete.
The end of March saw Florida’s cases grow tenfold, going from 100 new cases a day to more than 1,000.
By March 24, Florida recorded 1,467 cases statewide. A week later, by March 31, total cases soared to 6,741, an increase of 5,274 cases.
The first week of April, from March 29 to April 4, saw an increase of 6,595 statewide cases, from 4,950 on March 29 to to 11,545 on April 4.
The second week saw an increase of 6,636 cases, from 12,350 on April 5 to 18,986 on April 11.
The third week saw an increase of 5,597 cases, from 19,895 on April 12 to 25,492 on April 18, or slightly less than 1,000 new cases a day. On April 17, the state recorded its highest number of cases in a single day, at 1,413 confirmed cases.
In the fourth week, it is too soon to say if the numbers represent a new downward trend. Health experts are concerned the statewide total number of confirmed cases is significantly undercounted because Florida reports only the number of Floridians waiting to hear test results from state labs, not private ones — and private labs are completing more than 90% of state tests.
The results of thousands of pending tests from private labs have taken as long as two weeks to be added to the state’s official count. The state’s website does not say its figures exclude the vast majority of pending tests for the novel coronavirus.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Florida:
As of Tuesday evening, here’s what Florida’s Department of Health data shows. The numbers reflect the changes from the Tuesday morning report:
Miami-Dade County had 216 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the county total to 10,056 confirmed cases. Of those cases, 9,940 are residents, 115 are non-residents and one is a resident who is not in Florida. Those who have fallen ill range from 0 to 105. (A person who is listed as age zero means they are less than 1.) The county has had 1,029 hospitalizations and 233 deaths, the state’s highest death toll.
Broward County reported 19 additional confirmed cases, raising the county total of confirmed cases to 4,168. Health officials say 4,049 are residents and 119 are non-residents. Those who have fallen ill range from 0 to 102. The county has had 126 deaths and 770 hospitalizations.
Palm Beach County had 24 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, raising the county total to 2,320. Health officials say 2,262 are residents, 56 are non-residents and two are residents who are not in Florida. Those who have fallen ill range from 0 to 104. The county has had 380 hospitalizations and 131 deaths.
Monroe County did not report any additional confirmed cases of the disease. The county has 73 known cases of COVID-19. Eight of them are non-residents. Those who have fallen ill range from age 6 to 80. The Florida Keys have had three deaths and 11 hospitalizations.
This article will be updated once more information becomes available.
This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 11:23 AM.
