Florida COVID update: 20,656 new cases and 357 deaths — one of the highest death increases
Florida on Thursday reported 20,656 more COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state also reported 357 new deaths over the pandemic.
The jump in cases and deaths are a sum of many changes to previous daily totals the CDC made Thursday.
The CDC has changed the way it reports cases and deaths in Florida. It now publishes cases and deaths based on the date of occurrence — instead of the date that it was reported to the agency.
The reason is due to the Florida Department of Health submitting a complete renewed set of case data to the CDC every day, including retrospective COVID-19 cases, Weesam Khoury, the Florida DOH communications director, told the Miami Herald.
“This will ensure that continuous epidemiological analyses provide the most updated data to the public,” Khoury said.
As numerous daily totals were changed, Florida’s new highest single day increase of cases was on Wednesday with 24,869 cases. However that total may change in future just as Tuesday’s original daily total of 24,753, which at the time was the highest single day record, lowered to 20,465 on Thursday when the CDC posted its newest data.
Florida’s cumulative increase of 357 deaths on Thursday made up of changes on many days in the past was the highest in pandemic history. Previous records were based on single-day increases. It is unclear if this large increase is due to the addition of outside factors, such as non-resident deaths or a backlog of not yet reported deaths on past dates.
Florida — which makes up about 6.5% of the U.S. population, accounted for 15.7% of the country’s new cases on Wednesday — based on data the state is reporting to the CDC. As of Aug. 11, the state’s seven-day moving average of new cases was 21,210, up from a moving average of 4,072 on July 11. That number represents roughly a 421% increase, stemming from the highly contagious delta variant.
In all, Florida has recorded at least 2,827,469 confirmed COVID cases statewide and 40,539 deaths, according to the CDC.
From July 30 to Aug. 5, Florida reported 134,506 cases, and 175 deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health’s weekly report released on Fridays. There were 24,086 more cases this week than last week, a 21% jump, and the percent positivity increased to 18.9% from 18.4% last week, the report said. High positivity rates indicate community spread.
COVID-19 vaccine rates in Florida
As of the Wednesday report, 10,720,783 eligible Floridians — 49.9% of the state’s population — have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.
A much higher number of Floridians have received at least one dose of the vaccine — about 60.4% of the state’s population, or 12,967,103.
COVID-19 VACCINES IN SOUTH FLORIDA
The CDC reports that every county’s level of community transmission is high.
▪ In Miami-Dade County, 2,121,635, or 78.1% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. Only 1,705,919 people are fully vaccinated, or 62.8% of the county’s total population.
In Dade, 90.3% of the population 12 years old and over, 92.4% of people 18 and older, and 99.9% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
▪ In Broward County, 1,280,349 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 65.6% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 1,031,687 people are fully vaccinated, or 52.8% of the county’s total population.
In the county, 76.1% of the population 12 years old and over, 78% of those 18 and older, and 96.2% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
▪ In Palm Beach County, 906,993 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 60.6% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 769,296 people are fully vaccinated, or 51.4% of the county’s total population.
In the county, 69.1% of people 12 years old and over, 71.1% of people 18 and older, and 89.5% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
▪ In Monroe County, 54,096 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 72.9% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 44,621 people are fully vaccinated, or 60.1% of the county’s total population.
In Monroe, 81.2% of people 12 years old and over, 83.6% of people 18 and older, and 99.9% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
▪ In Manatee County, 226,385 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 56.1% of the total population, according to the CDC. Only 190,234 people are fully vaccinated, or 47.2% of the county’s total population.
In the county, 63.5% of people 12 years old and over, 65.9% of people 18 and older, and 87.6% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida
There were 15,796 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida on Thursday — breaking the state’s current hospitalization record for the 12th consecutive day, according to data reported to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services from 253 Florida hospitals. COVID-19 patients also accounted for 26.85% of all hospital patients.
This figure represents an increase of 347 from Wednesday’s report.
Of that 15,79, HHS reports 3,222 people are in intensive care, representing 48.90% of the state’s ICU hospital beds.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 8:13 PM.
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