Florida COVID update for Thursday: 6,684 new cases and 80 resident deaths
Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday announced 6,684 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, putting the number above 6,000 for the first time since Sunday. The state also announced 84 new deaths. Of those who died, 80 were residents.
The state has recorded a known total of 2,191,038 coronavirus cases and 35,378 deaths. Among those who died, 34,696 were residents and 682 were nonresidents.
On Thursday, the state reported the results of 107,050 residents tested on Wednesday. The state’s percent positivity decreased from 6.62% to 6.19%.
More than 5.4 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Thursday’s vaccine report.
COVID-19 in Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,162 new cases and 18 new deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 475,231 cases and 6,077 deaths.
In Miami-Dade, 406,022 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 720,091 people have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 6.5% to 5.95%.
▪ Broward County reported 738 new cases and 35 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 231,050 cases and 2,848 deaths.
In Broward, 280,657 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 484,701 people have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 5.78% to 5.8%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 528 new cases and six new deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 140,374 cases and 2,738 deaths.
In Palm Beach, 214,019 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 396,994 people have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity increased from 5.56% to 6.15%.
▪ Monroe County added 11 new cases and, after about a week in which deaths held at 50, the health department subtracted one death. Pandemic totals in the Keys are at 6,789 cases and 49 deaths.
In Monroe, 11,082 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 21,291 people have either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer or Moderna.
Percent positivity decreased from 7.76% to 5.38%.
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Florida COVID-19 hospitalization
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.
Government officials use current hospitalizations to decide the next steps in fighting the pandemic.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, the agency said there were 3,410 people hospitalized. Of those, Miami-Dade had 598; Broward, 496; Palm Beach, 218; and Monroe, 3, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 617 COVID-19 patients, down from 523 on Tuesday. There were 60 new patients and 119 were discharged.
State hospitalization data doesn’t always match Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard data for various reasons, including the frequency of daily updates.
