Florida adds more than 100 COVID-19 deaths again and 2,628 cases

Michelle Marchante, Devoun Cetoute
·4 min read

Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 2,628 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 709,144. Also, 127 resident deaths were announced, bringing the resident death toll to 14,444.

Four new non-resident deaths were also announced Thursday, bringing the non-resident toll to 175.

The cumulative total of resident deaths might be slightly off because of a discrepancy that occurred Wednesday between the state’s coronavirus report and the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The Florida Department of Health did not immediately respond to the Miami Herald’s request for clarification on whether the discrepancy was corrected Thursday.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Florida

▪ Miami-Dade County reported 482 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths, according to Florida’s Department of Health. The county now has 170,882 confirmed cases and 3,284 deaths. The 14-day positivity average is 4.60%, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” Dashboard.

▪ Broward County reported 213 additional confirmed cases of the disease and 10 new deaths. The county has a known total of 77,433 cases and 1,406 deaths.

▪ Palm Beach County saw 146 additional confirmed cases and 14 new deaths. The county now has 46,698 confirmed cases and 1,383 deaths.

▪ Monroe County confirmed eight additional cases and no new deaths. The county has a known total of 1,855 cases and 22 deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida

One of the tools that officials rely on to determine whether the coronavirus situation is improving in the state is hospitalization data. Unlike testing, which might be limited or take days to report results, hospitalizations can help give officials a real-time snapshot of how many people are severely ill with COVID-19.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration reports the number of patients hospitalized statewide with a “primary diagnosis of COVID.” The data, which is updated at least every hour, does not distinguish between the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital intensive care units and those in acute-care beds, which require less attention from nurses.

Previously, the state was providing only the total number of hospitalizations in its statewide and county-level data. Miami-Dade was an exception, with hospitals self-reporting a number of key metrics, including hospitalizations, to the county, which has made this data public for several months.

As of 7:31 p.m. Thursday, there were 2,080 COVID-19 patients admitted into hospitals throughout the state, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard. This is a significant decrease from early August, when more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals throughout the state.

Of Thursday’s hospitalizations, 280 were in Miami-Dade, 202 in Broward, 110 in Palm Beach and five in Monroe counties, according to the agency.

Florida’s current hospitalization data does not always match the hospitalization data reported in Miami-Dade’s “New Normal” dashboard. Officials say this could be for a number of reasons, including the frequency of daily updates.

On Thursday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications increased from 338 to 353, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Thursday’s data, 52 people were discharged and 54 people were admitted.

On Thursday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications increased from 338 to 353, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Thursday’s data, 52 people were discharged and 54 people were admitted.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications increased from 338 to 353, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Thursday’s data, 52 people were discharged and 54 people were admitted.

The state has had 44,320 Florida residents hospitalized for COVID-19-related complications, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.

COVID-19 Testing in Florida

Testing in Florida has seen steady growth since the COVID-19 crisis began.

Testing, like hospitalizations, helps officials determine the virus’ progress and plays a role in deciding whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders and loosen restrictions.

Epidemiologists then use the testing data to create a positivity rate. The rate helps them determine if a rise in cases is because of an increase in testing or if it means there’s increased transmission of the virus in the community.

On Thursday, Florida’s Department of Health reported the results of 65,474 people tested on Wednesday. The positivity rate of new cases (people who tested positive for the first time) was 4.65%.

On Thursday, Florida’s Department of Health reported the results of 65,474 people tested on Wednesday. The positivity rate of new cases (people who tested positive for the first time) was 4.65%.
On Thursday, Florida’s Department of Health reported the results of 65,474 people tested on Wednesday. The positivity rate of new cases (people who tested positive for the first time) was 4.65%.

If retests are included — people who have tested positive once and are being tested for a second time — the positivity rate was 5.98% of the total, the report said.

This breaking news article will be updated.