Florida COVID update for Thursday: 140 deaths and more than 6,600 cases
Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday announced 6,640 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 140 new deaths. Of those who died, 138 were residents.
The state has now recorded a known total of 1,892,301 coronavirus cases and 31,018 total deaths. Among those who died, 30,478 were residents and 540 were nonresidents.
On Thursday, the state reported the results of 149,702 residents tested on Wednesday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 5.98% to 5.23%.
More than 1.5 million Floridians have completed the two-dose vaccination series of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, and more than 1.2 million have received the first dose.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,424 new cases and 16 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 406,987 cases and 5,369 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 124,972 people have received the first vaccine dose and 167,878 people have completed the two-dose series. Percent positivity increased from 5.61% to 5.70%.
▪ Broward County added 770 cases and four deaths, moving its totals to 192,738 cases and 2,365 deaths. In Broward, 98,614 people have received the first vaccine dose and 141,900 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 6.78% to 5.84%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 520 new cases and 15 deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 119,373 cases and 2,443 deaths. In Palm Beach, 111,932 people have received the first vaccine dose and 147,576 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 7.02% to 5.51%.
▪ Monroe County added 24 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 5,771 cases and 46 deaths. In Monroe, 4,943 people have received the first vaccine dose and 6,050 have completed the series. Percent positivity increased from 4.75% to 4.93%.
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 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the agency said there were 4,077 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 622; Broward, 589; Palm Beach, 310; and Monroe, 4, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 675 COVID-19 patients, down from 706 on Wednesday. There were 55 new patients and 121 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 story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Florida COVID update for Thursday: 140 deaths and more than 6,600 cases."
