Florida positivity rate spikes to 22.75% as state nears 1.3 million coronavirus cases
The number of people in Florida who tested positive for COVID-19 soared Tuesday to 22.75 percent of those testing positive for the first time, the highest rate since the state started reporting the metric in April, but state health officials cautioned the jump is likely the result of fewer people getting tested during the Christmas holidays.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties also reported unprecedented highs in COVID-19 positivity rates on Tuesday, with rates of 23.97%, 24.03% and 19.50%, respectively, according to the state health department.
The high positivity rates came as the state returned to double-digit new COVID cases after a lag around the Christmas holiday. Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed 12,075 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 1,292,252, the third-highest number in the nation, after California and Texas, according to the New York Times database of U.S. cases.
The state also announced 101 new resident deaths, bringing the resident toll to 21,409. Four new non-resident deaths were also confirmed, leading to a non-resident death toll of 309.
The DOH is attributing the spikes in positivity rates to low testing during the holidays.
“The reported positivity rate is 22.75 percent, which should be interpreted with caution due to reduced hours and closures at doctor’s offices, public testing sites, and laboratories for the holidays,” the DOH said in a release.
According to Tuesday’s report, 62,303 people were tested on Monday when Florida saw its highest positivity rate. That represents the lowest number of people tested in the last two weeks, when upwards of 150,000 people were tested on individual days.
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Tuesday’s statewide positivity rate of 22.75 percent doubled the 11.08 percent positivity rate the state disclosed in Monday’s report. The 11.08 percent rate reported Monday was a spike since the high rates of August. The 11.08 percent rate was based on 84,552 people being tested in a day.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 2,825 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine new deaths, according to Florida’s Department of Health. The county has now had 293,188 confirmed cases and 4,164 deaths.
Percent positivity for new cases increased from 10.81% on Sunday to 23.97% on Monday. Miami-Dade tested 8,913 people on Monday, the lowest level in the last two weeks. The 14-day percent positivity average was 9.73%.
▪ Broward County reported 1,102 additional confirmed cases and two new deaths. The county’s known total is now at 134,582 cases and 1,830 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 8.42% on Sunday to 24.03% on Monday. Broward tested 3,396 people on Monday, the lowest number in the last two weeks.
▪ Palm Beach County saw 525 additional confirmed cases and seven new deaths. The county has 81,390 confirmed cases and 1,873 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 10.47% on Sunday to 19.50% on Monday. Palm Beach tested 2,109 people on Monday, the lowest number in the last two weeks.
▪ Monroe County confirmed 14 additional cases and no new deaths. The county has a known total of 4,182 cases and 35 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 9.82% to 10.80%.
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 6:01 p.m. Tuesday, there were 6,280 COVID-19 patients admitted into hospitals throughout the state, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard. This number is at August levels, when more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals throughout the state.
Of Tuesday’s hospitalizations, 1,001 were in Miami-Dade, 584 in Broward, 369 in Palm Beach and two 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 Tuesday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications decreased from 1,077 to 1,072, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Tuesday’s data, 148 people were discharged and 109 people were admitted.
The state has had a total of 62,142 Florida residents hospitalized for COVID-19-related complications, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.
This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
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