Coronavirus

Florida COVID update for Tuesday: 4,426 cases and more than 120 deaths

Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday announced 4,426 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 132 new deaths. Of those who died, 125 were residents.

The state has recorded a known total of 1,952,733 coronavirus cases and 32,481 total deaths. Among those who died, 31,889 were residents and 592 were nonresidents.

On Tuesday, the state reported the results of 91,613 residents tested on Monday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 5.96% to 5.87%.

More than 1.9 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Tuesday’s vaccine report. So far, 17,497 people have received Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine and 1,948,443 have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer or Moderna.

COVID-19 in South Florida

Miami-Dade County reported 1,093 new cases and 52 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 421,433 cases and 5,612 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 214,288 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 212,862 completed the two-dose series and 4,047 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 6.29% to 6.00%.

Broward County added 549 cases and seven deaths, moving its totals to 200,688 cases and 2,484 deaths. In Broward, 140,133 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 176,272 completed the two-dose series and 1,561 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 6.75% to 6.28%.

Palm Beach County reported 258 new cases and one death, bringing its cumulative count to 123,778 cases and 2,523 deaths. In Palm Beach County, 114,861 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 193,694 completed the two-dose series and 525 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity increased from 5.86% to 5.90%.

Monroe County added 18 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,023 cases and 46 deaths. In Monroe, 6,323 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 7,785 completed the two-dose series and 73 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity increased from 9.49% to 10.23%.

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 steps in fighting the pandemic.

As of 3:32 p.m. Tuesday, the agency said there were 3,311 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 575; Broward, 473; Palm Beach, 246; and Monroe, 10, the agency said.

According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 618 COVID-19 patients, down from 624. There were 56 new patients and 93 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 March 9, 2021 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Florida COVID update for Tuesday: 4,426 cases and more than 120 deaths."

Michelle Marchante
Miami Herald
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription
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