Florida weekly COVID update: New cases and hospitalizations on a downward trend
What is the COVID-19 situation like in Florida?
In the past seven days, the state has added 2,614 cases and 185 deaths per day, on average, according to Miami Herald calculations of data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the past three weeks, on average, 841 fewer new cases were logged each day in Florida, showing a decrease in trends.
As of Tuesday, March 1, more than 14,165,000 people are fully vaccinated in Florida. The state has logged at least 5,808,620 cases and 70,247 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.
The number of cases is likely an undercount due to positive results from at-home COVID testing. The state also only tracks resident cases and deaths, excluding nonresidents.
On March 1, 2020, Florida announced its first two COVID cases: a 29-year-old Hillsborough County woman who had traveled to Italy and a 63-year-old Manatee County man. However, a Miami Herald analysis of state data found the virus was spreading months earlier.
Here’s a breakdown of what to know this week:
COVID spread in South Florida
Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties have a medium COVID risk level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under this risk level, the CDC is no longer recommending masks indoors. However, it’s still recommending that people considered to be high risk for severe illness speak with their healthcare provider on whether they should wear a mask.
It also notes that “people may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.”
South Florida and Manatee County COVID-19 Cases
From Feb. 18 to Feb. 24, Florida has seen 25,390 new cases, according to Herald calculations of the Florida Department of Health’s weekly situation report published Friday. New cases were 40% less than those added the previous week.
Here’s a breakdown of how many new COVID cases were reported in South Florida and Manatee County according to the report.
▪ Miami-Dade reported 3,209 new resident cases in the week ending Feb. 24. The county’s resident case total is 1,169,782. Cases added were 32% less than those added in the previous week.
From Feb. 16 to Feb. 22, 106,046 tests were administered, the CDC reported. This may be an undercount due to delayed reporting, the agency said. Testing decreased by 7.89% from the previous week.
▪ Broward reported 1,555 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 595,601. Cases added were 42% less than those added the previous week.
From Feb. 16 through 22, 46,884 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing decreased by 7.36% from the previous week.
▪ Palm Beach reported 1,253 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total stands at 362,530. Cases added were 33% less than those added the previous week.
From Feb. 16 through 22, 26,219 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing decreased by 11.18% from the previous week.
▪ Monroe reported 79 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 17,841. Cases added were 28% less than those added the previous week.
From Feb. 16 through 22, 1,052 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing decreased by 4.36% from the previous week.
▪ Manatee reported 460 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 94,336. Cases added were 43% less than those added the previous week.
From Feb. 16 through 22, 6,994 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing decreased by 14.5% from the previous week.
South Florida and Manatee County COVID deaths
Florida has added 888 deaths in the last week, according to Herald calculations of the CDC’s Community Profile Report published Tuesday.
It is unclear when these newly reported deaths occurred. The Community Profile Report updates Florida’s county tolls and rates about once every seven days.
As of Tuesday’s Community Profile Report, Florida had a rate of 326 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, the state had a rate of 316 deaths per 100,000 people.
Here’s where death rates and tolls stand in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC.
▪ Miami-Dade’s death toll is 10,423, an increase of 103 deaths from Friday’s report. That’s a rate of 384 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.
▪ Broward’s death toll is 5,587, an increase of 41. That’s a rate of 286 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
▪ Palm Beach’s death toll is 4,856, an increase of 13. That’s a rate of 324 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
▪ Monroe’s death toll is 114, it had one death removed from its toll. The county would be at a death rate of 154 deaths per 100,000 people if its population were that large.
▪ Manatee’s death toll is 1,233, an increase of three. Manatee has a rate of 306 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of people hospitalized with COVID has also been decreasing. There were 2,830 people hospitalized in Florida, with 464 in the ICU, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report on Tuesday.
Although newly reported cases during the omicron surge surpassed those reported during delta’s, hospitalizations have not.
At delta’s August peak, more than 15,000 patients were hospitalized in Florida, according to HHS data.
Miami-Dade County no longer collects and reports COVID hospitalizations data in its “COVID-19 Daily Dashboard”.
In Broward, in the past six days, 196 COVID patients have been hospitalized on average, Herald calculations of the Broward COVID-19 Hospital Report show. As of Tuesday, there are 176 COVID patients.
Florida COVID-19 vaccinations
About 14,169,133 eligible Floridians — 66% of the state’s population — have completed the two-dose series of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.
About 5,443,076 Floridians have received a booster, about 38.4% of the state’s fully vaccinated population.
Here’s how many people have been received a booster in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:
▪ In Miami-Dade, about 714,062 people, or 31.5% of the fully vaccinated population, received a booster.
▪ In Broward, about 511,549 people have received a booster, or 37.2% of the fully vaccinated population.
▪ In Palm Beach, about 400,438 people have received a booster, or 40.9% of the fully vaccinated population.
▪ In Monroe, about 20,690 people have received a booster, or 36% of the fully vaccinated population.
▪ In Manatee, about 241,337 people have received a booster, or 59.8% of the fully vaccinated population.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 2:43 PM.
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