Florida reports 13,147 new COVID cases, mirroring July peak numbers, plus 121 deaths
Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 13,147 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 1,247,546. That’s almost identical to the 13,148 reported on Dec. 17.
Single-day case numbers above 13,000 had not been seen since July 16, when cases were routinely above 10,000 a day. The exception: a two-day post-Thanksgiving report.
Also, 121 new resident deaths were announced Thursday, one more than the day before, bringing the resident toll to 20,995
One new non-resident death was also announced, bringing the non-resident toll to 300.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 2,303 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s known total to 283,285, according to Florida’s Department of Health. This is the 16th consecutive day to top 2,000 cases in Miami-Dade.
Twelve new deaths were announced, bringing the toll to 4,108. Percent positivity for new cases decreased from 7.44% to 6.7%.
▪ Broward County reported 1,081 additional confirmed cases — the most since Saturday — and two new deaths. The county’s known total is now at 130,978 cases and 1,798 deaths. Percent positivity decreased from 6.40% to 5.91%.
▪ Palm Beach County saw 665 additional confirmed cases and 16 new deaths. The county has 78,852 confirmed cases and 1,858 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases decreased from 7.43% to 6.74%.
▪ Monroe County confirmed 27 additional cases and no new deaths. The county has a known total of 4,110 cases and 33 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 5.54% to 10.08%.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida
One of the tools that officials rely on to determine whether the coronavirus situation is improving in the state is hospitalization data. Unlike testing, which might be limited or takes days to report results, hospitalizations can help give officials a real-time snapshot of how many people are severely ill with COVID-19.
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 9 a.m. Thursday, there were 5,590 COVID-19 patients admitted into hospitals throughout the state, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard. This number is at mid-August levels, when more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals throughout the state.
Of Thursday’s hospitalizations, 983 were in Miami-Dade, 501 in Broward, 312 in Palm Beach and three in Monroe, according to the agency.
Florida’s current hospitalization data does not always match the hospitalization data reported in Miami-Dade’s “New Normal” dashboard. Officials say this could be for a number of reasons, including the frequency of daily updates.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications increased from 1,034 to 1,037, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Thursday’s data, 157 people were discharged and 111 people were admitted.
The state has had a total of 61,100 Florida residents hospitalized for COVID-19-related complications, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.
COVID-19 Testing in Florida
Testing in Florida has seen steady growth since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Testing, like hospitalizations, helps officials determine the virus’ progress and plays a role in deciding whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders and loosen restrictions.
Epidemiologists use the testing data to create a positivity rate. The rate helps them determine if a rise in cases is because of an increase in testing or whether there’s increased transmission of the virus in the community.
On Thursday, Florida’s Department of Health reported the results of 164,369 people tested on Wednesday. The positivity rate of new cases (people who tested positive for the first time) decreased from 8.62% to 7.82%.
This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Florida reports 13,147 new COVID cases, mirroring July peak numbers, plus 121 deaths."
