Florida COVID update for Tuesday: 5,556 cases added and 70 new resident deaths

Michelle Marchante, Devoun Cetoute
·3 min read

Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday announced 5,556 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 70 new resident deaths.

The state has recorded a known total of 2,090,862 coronavirus cases and 34,434 deaths. Among those who died, 33,780 were residents and 654 were nonresidents.

On Tuesday, the state reported the results of 94,940 residents tested the day before. The state’s percent positivity decreased from 7.34% to 6.89%.

More than 3.6 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Monday’s vaccine report.

COVID-19 in Florida

▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,516 new cases and seven new deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 453,345 cases and 5,924 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 341,386 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 478,106 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 7.05% to 6.98%.

▪ Broward County added 789 cases and five new deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 218,973 cases and 2,706 deaths. In Broward, 240,470 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 330,101 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 7.35% to 8.06%.

▪ Palm Beach County reported 265 new cases and four deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 133,836 cases and 2,676 deaths. In Palm Beach County, 168,859 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 301,207 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 7.74% to 6.33%.

▪ Monroe County added two new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 6,533 cases and 49 deaths. In Monroe, 11,470 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 14,270 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 7.06% to 3.20%.

▪ Manatee County pandemic totals are 35,411 cases and 636 deaths. In Manatee, 64,408 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 69,305 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 4.24% to 8.62%.

Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations

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 4:02 p.m. Tuesday, the agency said there were 3,020 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 501; Broward, 452; Palm Beach, 178; Manatee, 19; and Monroe, six, the agency said.

According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 533 COVID-19 patients, up from 524 on Sunday. There were 67 new patients and 70 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.

This breaking news article will be updated.