Florida COVID update for Monday: Fewer cases, 161 deaths, 1.3 million vaccinated
Florida’s Department of Health on Monday announced 4,151 new confirmed cases of the disease, the lowest reported since Presidents’ Day when testing also saw a decrease. The state also announced 161 new deaths, 159 of whom were residents.
Fewer tests are usually processed during the weekend and sometimes also lead to a smaller case count on Mondays. This time, the state reported the results of 72,226 residents tested on Sunday, the lowest recorded since Valentine’s Day. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers increased from 6.30% to 6.82%.
The state has now recorded a known total of 1,872,923 cases and 30,595 total deaths. Of those deaths, 30,065 are residents and 530 are non-residents.
More than 1.3 million Floridians have completed the two-dose vaccination series of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, and more than 1.3 million have received the first dose.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 994 new cases and 24 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 403,259 cases and 5,314 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 111,412 people have received the first vaccine dose and 156,925 people have completed the two-dose series. Percent positivity increased from 6.31% to 7.19%.
▪ Broward County added 531 cases and nine deaths, moving its totals to 190,364 cases and 2,349 deaths. In Broward, 95,560 people have received the first vaccine dose and 134,356 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 7.42% to 7.36%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 283 new cases and 18 deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 117,842 cases and 2,412 deaths. In Palm Beach, 119,221 people have received the first vaccine dose and 130,093 have completed the series. Percent positivity increased from 5.84% to 6.70%.
▪ Monroe County added 10 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 5,698 cases and 44 deaths. In Monroe, 5,128 people have received the first vaccine dose and 5,624 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 5.15% to 4.55%.
Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations
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.
Government officials use current hospitalizations to decide the next action in dealing with the pandemic.
As of 2:47 p.m. Monday, the agency said there were 4,175 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 710; Broward, 586; Palm Beach, 314; and Monroe, 2, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 782 COVID-19 patients, up from 774 on Sunday. There were 87 new patients and 80 were discharged.
State hospitalization data doesn’t always match Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard data for various reasons, including the frequency of daily updates.
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Florida COVID update for Monday: Fewer cases, 161 deaths, 1.3 million vaccinated."
