As COVID begins its fourth year, here’s how Florida fared in cases, deaths and vaccines
As the coronavirus pandemic begins its fourth year, albeit less severe than its first three years, Florida has been at the forefront of the national conversation about masks, vaccines and quarantines.
From March 2020, when the pandemic began, through March 22, 2023, Florida recorded 7,542,869 COVID-19 cases and 87,141 deaths, the 12th highest rate in cases and deaths per 100,000 people among the 50 states and Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
As of April 26, Florida ranked 45th out of 50 states, plus Washington and Puerto Rico, in terms of the percentage of its vaccine-eligible population who’ve completed a two-shot or single-dose COVID-19 vaccine and had one booster.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who was confirmed by the Florida Senate in February 2022 after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him in September 2021 — 19 months into the pandemic — has been a vocal opponent of vaccines, claiming they are dangerous. His study linking COVID heart-related deaths in men aged 18-39 has been sharply criticized by the nation’s top public health officials and his colleagues at the University of Florida, where Ladapo is a tenured faculty member at UF’s College of Medicine.
The Florida Senate is expected to vote on his confirmation to a second term as surgeon general this week, before the Legislative Session is due to wrap up on Friday, May 5.
Florida has not reported COVID-19 case or death data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since April 6 due to ongoing technical improvements in Florida’s surveillance system, according to a footnote on the CDC’s website. All data used for case and death rate comparisons was last logged on March 22.
Florida has reported its vaccine data to the CDC without interruption, with the last report dated April 26. The next report is scheduled to be posted Thursday, May 4. The reports are posted on Thursdays.
The rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths is affected by multiple factors, public health experts caution. State government policies, a community’s willingness to vaccinate, population density, economics, income levels, language barriers and other circumstances all play a part.
Here’s a look at how Florida has fared in COVID-19 cases, deaths and vaccines from March 2020 through March 22, 2023:
▪ Florida had the 12th-highest case rate — 33,908 cases per 100,000 people — when compared to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Washington, according to Miami Herald calculations of CDC COVID-19 data. When comparing the country’s five largest states — California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania — only New York had a higher COVID case rate, 34,577 cases per 100,000.
▪ Florida had the 12th highest death rate — 391.7 deaths per 100,000 people — when compared to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Washington, according to Miami Herald calculations of CDC COVID data. Among the country’s five largest states — California, Texas, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania — Florida was slightly behind New York, which had a death rate of 392.2 deaths per 100,000 people, the highest of the five states.
In terms of COVID vaccines, Florida lags in the percentage of its population who have received vaccines, according to CDC data as of April 26. This is based on the state’s vaccine-eligible population, aged 5 and up:
▪ 82.9% of Florida’s vaccine-eligible population received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of this period, ranking the state 22nd when compared to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Washington.
▪ 69.7% of Florida’s vaccine-eligible population completed a two-dose or single-dose vaccine, ranking the state 23rd when compared to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Washington.
▪ 44% of Florida’s vaccine-eligible population completed a two-shot or single-shot vaccine and then had a booster, ranking the state 45th when compared to all 50 states and Puerto Rico and Washington.
This article has been updated to reflect more detailed data related to COVID.
This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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