Florida COVID update for Friday: 6,490 cases, 96 deaths and a small dip in positivity
Florida’s Department of Health on Friday announced 6,490 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the second consecutive day with cases over 6,000, which is the most since early March. The state also announced 96 new deaths. Of those who died, 92 were residents.
The state has recorded a known total of 2,071,015 coronavirus cases and 34,239 deaths. Among those who died, 33,586 were residents and 653 were nonresidents.
On Friday, the state reported the results of 104,286 residents tested on Thursday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 6.41% to 6.1%
More than 3.5 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. That’s about 16% of the state’s population, according to the New York Times database. So far, 249,373 people have received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and 3,252,227 have completed the two-dose series of either Pfizer or Moderna.
COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,437 new cases and 12 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 448,479 cases and 5,890 deaths.
In Miami-Dade, 331,342 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 41,852 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 393,139 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 7.11% to 6.8%. The 14-day average is 6.31% as of Friday’s Miami-Dade New Normal report.
▪ Broward County added 789 cases and 19 deaths, moving its totals to 216,277 cases and 2,685 deaths.
In Broward, 235,012 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 20,645 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and 281,700 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 6.86% to 6.76%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 430 new cases and six new deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 132,528 cases and 2,659 deaths.
In Palm Beach County, 160,707 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, and 16,108 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 269,677 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 5.73% to 4.97%.
▪ Monroe County added 25 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,475 cases and 49 deaths.
In the Keys, 11,288 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, 631 have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine; and 12,311 have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 5.65% to 6.63%.
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. Friday, the agency said there were 2,869 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 530; Broward, 438; Palm Beach, 166; and Monroe, three, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 515 COVID-19 patients, down from 533 on Wednesday. There were 56 new patients and 91 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 April 2, 2021 at 2:47 PM.
