Florida COVID update for Wednesday: 7,128 cases, 129 deaths, lower positivity rate
Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday announced 7,128 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state also announced 129 new deaths, 127 of whom were residents.
The state has now recorded a known total of 1,885,661 cases and 30,878 total deaths. Of those deaths, 30,340 are residents and 538 are non-residents.
On Wednesday, the state reported the results of 118,244 residents tested on Tuesday. The state’s percent positivity for first-time testers decreased from 6.50% to 5.99%.
Currently, 1,492,509 Floridians have completed the two-dose vaccination series of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, and 1,299,509 have received the first dose.
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COVID-19 in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,064 new cases and 15 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 405,563 cases and 5,353 deaths. In Miami-Dade, 119,287 people have received the first vaccine dose and 164,514 people have completed the two-dose series. Percent positivity decreased from 6.01% to 5.61%.
▪ Broward County added 903 cases and nine deaths, moving its totals to 191,968 cases and 2,361 deaths. In Broward, 97,324 people have received the first vaccine dose and 139,516 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 7.28% to 6.8%.
▪ Palm Beach County reported 702 new cases and 14 deaths, bringing its cumulative count to 118,853 cases and 2,428 deaths. In Palm Beach, 111,722 people have received the first vaccine dose and 143,634 have completed the series. Percent positivity increased from 6.48% to 7.02%.
▪ Monroe County added 26 new cases and no new deaths. Pandemic totals in the Keys are 5,747 cases and 46 deaths. In Monroe, 4,978 people have received the first vaccine dose and 5,893 have completed the series. Percent positivity decreased from 6.29% to 4.74%.
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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 action in dealing with the pandemic.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the agency said there were 4,077 people hospitalized. Of these, Miami-Dade had 665; Broward, 593; Palm Beach, 321; and Monroe, 4, the agency said.
According to Miami-Dade’s New Normal Dashboard, county hospitals have reported 706 COVID-19 patients, down from 780 on Tuesday. There were 70 new patients and 136 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.
