Florida COVID weekly update: Cases, hospitalizations, Miami risk level on the rise
What is the COVID-19 situation like in Florida?
In the past seven days, the state has added 4,280 cases and 20 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, 97 more cases were logged each day in Florida, showing an increase in trends.
As of Tuesday, May 3, more than 14,390,000 people are fully vaccinated in Florida. The state has logged at least 5,941,724 cases and 74,010 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.
Here’s a breakdown of what to know this week:
COVID spread in South Florida
Miami-Dade becomes the only county in the state to move up to a medium COVID risk level, according to the CDC. The rest of the state remains at a low risk level, which is the lowest of the CDC’s three levels: low, medium and high.
With a 12.99% positivity rate, seeing 225 cases per 100,000 people, Miami-Dade’s risk level was upgraded according to CDC benchmarks.
Under the medium 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.
Under the low risk level, the CDC no longer offers recommendations for the use of masks. It does advise to maintain improved ventilation while indoors when possible.
For the immunocompromised, the CDC recommends having a plan for rapid testing and for talking to your doctor about treatments such as oral antivirals, PrEP and monoclonal antibodies.
It does note, however, that “at all levels, people can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk. 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
In the period April 22-28, Florida has seen 26,482 new cases, according to Miami Herald calculations of the CDC’s Community Profile Report published Tuesday.
New cases were 27% more than those added the previous week. This is the highest increase in new weekly cases the state has seen in over a month.
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 7,584 new resident cases in the week ending April 28. The county’s resident case total is 1,207,308. Cases added were 24% more than those added in the previous week.
From April 20 to April 26, 74,819 tests were administered, the CDC reported. This may be an undercount due to delayed reporting, the agency said. Testing increased by 2.18% from the previous week.
▪ Broward reported 3,348 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 613,271. Cases added were 22% more than those added the previous week.
From April 20 to April 26, 31,942 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing increased by 0.73% from the previous week.
▪ Palm Beach reported 2,081 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total stands at 375,373. Cases added were 14% more than those added the previous week.
From April 20 to April 26, 18,217 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing increased by 0.08% from the previous week.
▪ Monroe reported 114 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 18,714. Cases added were 25% more than those added the previous week.
From April 20 to April 26, 831 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing increased by 14.46% from the previous week.
▪ Manatee reported 367 new resident cases. The county’s resident case total is 97,356. Cases added were 29% more than those added the previous week.
From April 20 to April 26, 3,315 tests were administered, the CDC reported. Testing increased by 10.39% from the previous week.
South Florida and Manatee County COVID deaths
Florida has added 128 deaths in the past week, according to Herald calculations of the CDC’s Tuesday Community Profile Report.
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 345 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic.
Here’s where death rates and tolls stand in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:
▪ Miami-Dade’s death toll is 10,917, an increase of 22 deaths from Friday’s report. That’s a rate of 402 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.
▪ Broward’s death toll is 5,841, an increase of nine. That’s a rate of 299 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
▪ Palm Beach’s death toll is 5,052, an increase of 11. That’s a rate of 338 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
▪ Monroe’s death toll is 119, no new deaths were reported. The county would be at a death rate of 160 deaths per 100,000 people if its population were that large.
▪ Manatee’s death toll is 1,431, an increase of six. Manatee has a rate of 355 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.
Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations
The number of people hospitalized with COVID has continued to increase. There were 1,268 people hospitalized in Florida, with 108 in the ICU, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report on Tuesday.
Over the past three weeks, on average, nine more people were hospitalized each day in Florida, showing an increase in hospital trends. However, ICU patients are still continuing to trend downward.
Although newly reported cases during the omicron surge surpassed those reported during the delta surge, 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.”
Florida COVID-19 vaccinations
About 14,390,827 eligible Floridians — 67% 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 5,792,075 Floridians have received a booster, about 40.2% of the state’s fully vaccinated population.
Here’s how many people have received a booster in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:
▪ In Miami-Dade, about 771,167 people, or 33.3% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.
▪ In Broward, about 547,452 people, or 39.2% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.
▪ In Palm Beach, about 429,914 people, or 43.3% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.
▪ In Monroe, about 22,209 people, or 38.1% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.
▪ In Manatee, about 110,641 people, or 44.4% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 2:25 PM.
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