Florida COVID update for Friday: 5,140 new cases put the state near 2 million mark
Florida’s Department of Health on Friday announced 5,140 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 54 new deaths. Of those who died, 53 were residents.
The state has recorded a known total of 1,999,257 coronavirus cases and 33,273 total deaths. Among those who died, 32,651 were residents and 622 were nonresidents.
On Friday, the state reported the results of 121,657 residents tested on Thursday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 5.55% to 5.02%.
More than 2.6 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Friday’s vaccine report. So far, 138,419 people have received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and 2,478,676 have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer or Moderna.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,235 new cases and six deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 432,177 cases and 5,716 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 311,441 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 257,457 completed the two-dose series, and 24,564 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 9.18% to 5.84%.
▪ Broward County added 704 cases and eight deaths, moving its totals to 206,889 cases and 2,580 deaths. In Broward, 189,924 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 212,455 completed the two-dose series, and 11,090 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 5.74% to 5.49%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 380 new cases and one death, bringing its cumulative count to 127,491 cases and 2,595 deaths. In Palm Beach, 124,221 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 233,099 completed the two-dose series, and 8,672 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 5.06% to 4.82%.
▪ Monroe County added 10 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,191 cases and 48 deaths. In Monroe, 8,184 people were given the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 9,810 completed the two-dose series, and 251 received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Percent positivity decreased from 5.82% to 2.73%.
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 2:02 p.m. Friday, the agency said there were 2,917 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 578; Broward, 459; Palm Beach, 171; and Monroe, six, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 811 COVID-19 patients, down from 812 on Thursday. There were 70 new patients and 95 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 19, 2021 at 2:30 PM.
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