Florida COVID weekly update: Hospitalization trends decrease for first time in months

What is the COVID-19 situation like in Florida?

In the past seven days, the state has added 6,964 cases and 71 deaths per day, on average, according to Miami Herald calculations of data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over the past three weeks, on average, 247 fewer cases were logged each day across the state, showing a decrease in new cases.

COVID information shifting to weekly trends. What to know about finding the report

As of Tuesday, Aug. 16, more than 14,609,300 people are fully vaccinated in Florida. The state has logged at least 6,932,972 cases and 78,749 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The number of cases is likely an undercount due to positive results from at-home COVID testing. The state also only tracks resident cases and deaths, excluding nonresidents.

Here’s a breakdown of what to know this week:

Tracking COVID variants

The two new omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, are spreading throughout the United States. They were first detected in South Africa earlier this year.

From August 7 to Aug. 13, the BA.5 strain remained the most dominant strain in the United States, accounting for 88.8% of cases. The BA.4 accounted for 5.3%, remaining the second most dominant strain, according to CDC data.

In the first week of May, the two variants accounted for only about 1% of new COVID cases.

In the Southeast region, which includes Florida, BA.5 accounted for 86.4% of cases in the area and BA.4 accounted for 7.2%, the most dominant strain and second most.

READ MORE: ‘We should definitely be concerned.’ Miami-Dade’s COVID-19 cases, positivity rates soar

COVID spread in South Florida

Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Manatee and Monroe are at a high COVID-19 risk level, according to the CDC. Under the high-risk level, the CDC recommends everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

If you are immunocompromised or at a high risk for severe disease, the CDC recommends wearing a mask as well as avoiding “nonessential” indoor activities in public.

READ MORE: Miami-Dade’s COVID-19 cases, positivity rates soar

South Florida and Manatee County COVID-19 Cases

In the period from Aug. 4 to August 11, Florida has seen 74,758 new cases, according to Miami Herald calculations of the CDC’s Community Profile Report published Friday.

Here’s a breakdown of the new COVID cases in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the report.

▪ Miami-Dade reported 13,545 new resident cases in the week ending August 11, reaching a total of 1,415,243. Cases added were 1% more than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 5.36%.

▪ Broward reported 6,528 new resident cases, reaching a total of 711,773. Cases added were 1% fewer than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 8.72%.

▪ Palm Beach reported 4,523 new resident cases, reaching a total of 436,088. Cases added were 1% more than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 12.16%.

▪ Monroe reported 185 new resident cases, reaching a total of 21,291. Cases added were 12% more than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 9.51%.

▪ Manatee reported 1,461 new resident cases, reaching a total of 112,773. Cases added were 10% more than those added in the previous week and COVID-19 testing decreased by 8.44%.

South Florida and Manatee County COVID deaths

Florida has added 483 deaths in the past week, according to Miami Herald calculations of the CDC’s Friday Community Profile Report.

It is unclear when these newly reported deaths occurred. The Community Profile Report updates Florida’s county tolls and rates about once every seven days.

As of Friday’s Community Profile Report, Florida had a rate of 365 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic.

Here’s where death rates and tolls stand in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:

▪ Miami-Dade’s death toll is 11,438, an increase of 54 deaths from Friday’s report. That’s a rate of 421 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

▪ Broward’s death toll is 6,164, an increase of 24. That’s a rate of 316 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

▪ Palm Beach’s death toll is 5,374, an increase of 25. That’s a rate of 357 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

▪ Monroe’s death toll is 126, an increase of one. The county would be at a death rate of 170 deaths per 100,000 people if its population were that large.

▪ Manatee’s death toll is 1,537, an increase of nine. Manatee has a rate of 381 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations

There were 3,970 people hospitalized in Florida, with 436 in the ICU, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services report on Tuesday.

Over the past three weeks, on average, 13 fewer people were hospitalized each day in Florida, showing a decrease in seven-day average hospital trends. This is the first time the trend has decreased since early April, when the newest omicron variant wave began.

At that same time, on average, one more person was in the ICU with COVID each day in Florida, another increase in trends.

During omicron’s January peak, more than 15,000 patients were hospitalized in Florida, according to HHS data.

Florida COVID-19 vaccinations

About 14,609,388 eligible Floridians — 68% of the state’s population — have completed the two-dose series of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.

About 6,178,152 Floridians have received a booster, about 42.3% of the state’s fully vaccinated population.

Here’s how many people have received a booster in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:

▪ In Miami-Dade, about 826,125 people, or 35.1% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.

▪ In Broward, about 582,757 people have received a booster, or 41.2% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Palm Beach, about 455,170 people have received a booster, or 45.2% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Monroe, about 23,847 people have received a booster, or 40.5% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Manatee, about 117,077 people have received a booster, or 46.2% of the fully vaccinated population.