Florida COVID update for Thursday: 6,790 cases, the most in a month, and 71 deaths
Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday announced 6,790 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the most since March 2. The state also announced 71 new deaths. Of those who died, 69 were residents.
Miami-Dade once again accounts for one-third of the state’s new deaths — 23 reported on Thursday.
The state has recorded a known total of 2,064,525 coronavirus cases and 34,143 deaths. Among those who died, 33,494 were residents and 649 were nonresidents.
On Thursday, the state reported the results of 107,491 residents tested on Wednesday — a jump of about 30,000 over the previous day. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 6.67% to 6.41%.
Nearly 3.4 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Thursday’s vaccine report. That’s about 15% of the state’s population, according to the New York Times database. So far, 242,281 people have received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and 3,156,575 have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer or Moderna.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,578 new cases and 23 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 447,042 cases and 5,878 deaths.
In Miami-Dade, 332,157 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 40,090 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 379,848 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 6.43% to 7.11%. The 14-day average is 6.24% as of Thursday’s Miami-Dade New Normal report.
▪ Broward County added 889 cases and 10 deaths, moving its totals to 215,488 cases and 2,666 deaths.
In Broward, 231,938 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 19,965 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 273,973 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 7.48% to 6.86%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 517 new cases and four new deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 133,098 cases and 2,652 deaths.
In Palm Beach County, 158,929 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 15,693 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 263,984 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 6.25% to 5.73%.
▪ Monroe County added 22 new cases and one new death. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,450 cases and 49 deaths.
In the Keys, 12,699 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 622 have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; and 12,077 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 3.49% to 5.65%
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 3:45 p.m. Thursday, the agency said there were 2,848 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 522; Broward, 420; Palm Beach, 165; and Monroe, three, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 533 COVID-19 patients, down from 553 on Tuesday. There were 56 new patients and 81 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 report will be updated.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 2:37 PM.
