COVID-19 live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on August 15

Howard Cohen
·2 min read

We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day.

Miami-Dade passes COVID-19 milestone 2,000 deaths as Florida reports 6,362 new cases

Noon: Miami-Dade, the epicenter of COVID-19 cases and number of deaths in the state, passed another milestone Saturday as Florida’s Department of Health reported another 48 deaths in the county. This brings the death toll in Miami-Dade over the 2,000 mark to 2,047.

Florida also confirmed 6,362 additional cases of COVID-19, pushing the state’s known total to 569,637. An additional 204 Florida resident deaths were also announced, bring the statewide resident death toll to 9,345.

Read the story here.

People just like you get COVID-19. See the stories and information most relevant to you

8 a.m.: How does COVID-19 affect people like you? Risks, severity, death rates, the curve all change depending on age, gender, where you live and work. The Miami Herald’s new interactive page creates personalized article tailored with most relevant information.

Read the story here.

Facing massive backlog of uncounted COVID deaths, Florida medical examiners streamline review

7:50 a.m.: Medical examiner offices in South Florida have a backlog of more than 1,200 suspected COVID-19 deaths awaiting certification, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission.

Medical examiner offices had struggled to keep up with a recent spike in COVID-19 deaths, with more than 2,300 deaths reported statewide in just the past two weeks, according to the Florida Department of Health.

On Friday, the commission voted to streamline the review of such deaths, McClatchy’s Washington bureau reported.

Read the story here.

CATCH UP TO START THE DAY

7:45 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on what’s happening around South Florida and the state as Saturday begins.

▪ Miami’s public works employees fear COVID-19 exposure at work

▪ Florida reports more than 200 new coronavirus deaths, pushing toll past 9,000.