Florida COVID update for Wednesday: 4,394 new cases and daily positivity under 5% in Miami

Howard Cohen
·3 min read

Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday announced 4,394 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 82 new deaths. Of those who died, 79 were residents.

The state has recorded a known total of 2,253,929 coronavirus cases and 36,184 deaths. Among those who died, 35,478 were residents and 706 were nonresidents.

On Wednesday, the state reported the results of 85,595 residents tested the previous day. The state’s percent positivity decreased from 6.11% to 5.16%.

More than 6.5 million Floridians have completed the two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to Wednesday’s vaccine report.

COVID-19 in Florida

▪ Miami-Dade County reported 736 new cases and one death, putting its pandemic totals at 487,544 cases and 6,207 deaths.

In Miami-Dade, 403,431 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 866,526 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 5.64% to 4.88%. The 14-day average was 5.97% on Tuesday’s Miami-Dade New Normal dashboard.

▪ Broward County reported 462 new cases and 15 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 238,386 cases and 2,936 deaths.

In Broward, 247,663 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 596,652 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 5.67% to 4.52%.

▪ Palm Beach County reported 287 new cases and three deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 144,356 cases and 2,778 deaths.

In Palm Beach, 185,540 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 477,366 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 5.73% to 4.56%.

▪ Monroe County added eight new cases and no deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are at 6,946 cases and 49 deaths.

In the Florida Keys, 11,678 people have received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna and 25,607 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 5.16% to 3.83%.

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 12:46 p.m. Wednesday, the agency said there were 3,009 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 472; Broward, 419; Palm Beach, 224; and Monroe, one, the agency said.

According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 502 COVID-19 patients, down from 536 on Monday. There were 58 new patients and 92 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.