Florida COVID update: 50,997 cases in three days, and hospitalizations break a record

Florida reported 50,997 COVID-19 cases and 100 deaths over the last three days to the federal government as the state continues to see a surge in cases not seen since January, the month with the highest number of COVID cases since the pandemic began 18 months ago.

Florida also broke its record for COVID-19 hospitalizations for the second day in a row, according to the data Florida reported for Monday to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported 16,998 new cases and 32 deaths in Florida on Saturday; 16,998 new cases and 32 deaths on Sunday; and 17,001 new cases and 36 deaths on Monday. The CDC did not make the data public until Tuesday afternoon.

Florida, which represents about 6.5% of the U.S. population, accounted for about 21.6% of the country’s new cases on Monday, based on the data the state is reporting to the CDC. Florida’s case count on Monday (17,001) was the highest reported by any state in the country, followed by California (11,137) and Texas (4,358), according to CDC data.

Florida’s seven-day average of new cases was 17,628 as of Monday, a nearly 800 percent increase since the seven-day average of new cases on July 1.

On Saturday, Florida reported a record-breaking 21,683 new COVID cases for Friday, July 30, the highest single-day tally of cases in Florida since the pandemic began.

‘It just went boom.’ ICUs are being overwhelmed with younger — and sicker — patients

January was the worst month of the Florida pandemic, with daily case counts routinely topping 10,000. That followed a surge in July 2020, when daily case counts also topped 10,000. The latter half of July 2021 has been Florida’s third COVID-19 surge.

On Sunday, Florida’s seven-day positivity rate had climbed to 18.76 percent, according to the Tuesday CDC data. On July 1, it was 5.48 percent.

Cumulatively, Florida has recorded at least 2,641,696 confirmed COVID cases statewide and 39,179 deaths as of Tuesday, according to the CDC.

COVID hospitalizations in Florida break record

There are now 11,863 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida, breaking the state’s hospitalization record for the second day in a row, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services as of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday.

About 2,406 people are in intensive care, or nearly 40 percent of the state’s ICU hospital beds.

“Last year, in 2020 it took us 60 days to go from 2,000 cases to 10,000. It has taken us 27 days to break our 2020 peak so it has been a dramatic increase,” Florida Hospital Association President Mary Mayhew told MSNBC Monday morning.

South Florida hospitals see rise in young patients as COVID resurgence gains steam

Many of the people hospitalized are younger and unvaccinated, according to South Florida hospitals and public health experts. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated during a Tuesday news conference at the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Miami-Dade County that there would be no shutdowns.

In Miami-Dade County, COVID hospitalizations are not at 2020 summer levels yet, but are inching closer. As of Monday, there were 1,421 patients with COVID in 25 of 29 hospitals reporting their data to the county, which has recently mandated that local hospitals report their COVID cases to county officials. Of the 1,421 patients, 249 were in the Intensive Care Units at the hospitals.

Based on four days of data — Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday — 87 percent of those in a Miami-Dade hospital for COVID were unvaccinated, according to a Miami Herald analysis.

On Monday, according to the county data, 161 people were admitted into the hospitals. Of those, 130 patients were not vaccinated, or 81 percent. Thirty one people were vaccinated.

Most hospitals are reluctant to mandate vaccines for workers. That may soon change.

President Joe Biden, speaking Tuesday about the surge in recent COVID cases, criticized DeSantis for the Republican’s opposition to mask mandates, saying “Get out of the way.’’

On Friday, DeSantis signed an executive order threatening to withhold state funds from school districts if they enact mask mandates to follow CDC recommendations, which call for all students, teachers, staff and visitors to wear masks in K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

COVID-19 vaccines

More than 10.4 million eligible Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine. About 49.1% of Florida’s total population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Florida switched from daily to weekly COVID reports in early June. The Miami Herald can no longer include new deaths because the state stopped classifying deaths by county in its report. The CDC does not display daily case totals for counties, only weekly averages.

▪ In Miami-Dade County, 2,053,262 people, or 75.6% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. About 1,674,367 people, or 61.6% of the county’s total population, are fully vaccinated.

In Miami-Dade, 87.3% of the population 12 years old and over, 89.7% of people 18 and older, and 100% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

▪ In Broward County, 1,238,638, or 63.4% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. About 1,013,351 people are fully vaccinated, or 51.9% of the county’s total population.

In Broward, 73.6% of the population 12 years old and over, 75.8% of people 18 and older, and 95.3% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

▪ In Palm Beach County, 881,183, or 58.9% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. About 758,409 people are fully vaccinated, or 50.7% of the county’s total population.

In the county, 67.2% of the population 12 years old and over, 69.4% of people 18 and older, and 88.9% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

▪ In Monroe County, 52,600, or 70.9% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. About 44,098 people are fully vaccinated, or 59.4% of the county’s total population.

In Monroe, 79% of the population 12 years old and over, 81.5% of people 18 and older, and 99.9% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

▪ In Manatee County, 219,891, or 54.5% of the county’s total population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. About 187,886 people are fully vaccinated, or 46.6% of the county’s total population.

In the county, 61.6% of the population 12 years old and over, 64.2% of people 18 and older, and 87% of people 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Miami Herald staff writers Ana Claudia Chacin and Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.