Florida COVID update for Wednesday: 5,294 new cases as Miami’s 14-day average tops 6%
Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday announced 5,294 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 89 new deaths. Of those who died, 87 were residents.
The state has recorded a known total of 2,057,735 coronavirus cases and 34,072 deaths. Among those who died, 33,425 were residents and 647 were nonresidents.
On Wednesday, the state reported the results of 77,448 residents tested on Tuesday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers increased from 6.36% to 6.67%. The 14-day average in Miami-Dade also remains over 6%, which complicates Mayor Danielle Levine Cava’s plan to end the midnight curfew by the desired April 5 target. She wants the two-week average to be no more than 5.5%. The current day 6.43% is not moving the needle in that direction.
More than 3.3 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Wednesday’s vaccine report. That’s about 15% of the state’s population, according to the New York Times database. So far, 234,962 people have received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and 3,072,361 have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer or Moderna.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 977 new cases and 10 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 445,464 cases and 5,855 deaths. On Tuesday, the county reported 30 deaths.
In Miami-Dade, 335,306 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 38,588 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 365,015 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 6.48% to 6.43%. The 14-day average is 6.38% as of Wednesday’s Miami-Dade New Normal report.
▪ Broward County added 719 cases and 22 deaths, moving its totals to 214,599 cases and 2,656 deaths.
In Broward, 228,280 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 19,166 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 268,383 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 7.35% to 7.48%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 346 new cases and four new deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 131,581 cases and 2,649 deaths.
In Palm Beach County, 158,428 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 14,361 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 252,375 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 6.75% to 6.19%.
▪ Monroe County added 14 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,428 cases and 48 deaths.
In the Keys, 10,924 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 618 have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; and 11,449 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 5.86% to 3.49%.
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 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, the agency said there were 2,943 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 566; Broward, 416; Palm Beach, 197; and Monroe, five, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 553 COVID-19 patients, down from 583 on Monday. There were 94 new patients and 109 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 31, 2021 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Florida COVID update for Wednesday: 5,294 new cases as Miami’s 14-day average tops 6%."
