Florida Reports 145 New Coronavirus Deaths; 3,116 More Cases
TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida health officials reported 145 new coronavirus deaths Tuesday along with another 3,116 additional cases of the virus.
In Miami-Dade, Florida's hardest hit county, infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty of Florida International University said 600 contact tracers have been added to the fight against the coronavirus, but more than 50 percent of people testing positive for the disease have refused to speak with them.
"This is one of the most serious aspects of the contract tracing dilemma. It's clear that our population hasn't grasped how vital that is," she warned. "You cannot go any further on the opening until you have this business of testing and contact tracing completely in hand."
Tuesday's death total compares to 34 new deaths Monday, eight new deaths Sunday, 98 new deaths Saturday, 176 new deaths Friday, 211 new deaths Thursday, 200 new deaths Wednesday and 44 new deaths last Tuesday.
The total number of positive cases of the coronavirus in Florida rose to 668,846 up from 665,730 a day earlier.
Detailed county-by-county data can be found on the Florida Department of Health's coronavirus dashboard.
Florida's numbers compare to 766,844 cases and 14,481 deaths in California; 686,895 cases and 14,458 deaths in Texas as well as 445,714 cases and 33,038 deaths in New York, according to information compiled by Johns Hopkins.
Florida health officials reported the state's 34th day of daily positivity under 10 percent. The daily positivity rate is calculated by taking the number of people who test PCR-or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive.
Florida's overall positivity rate, which is cumulative, was at 13.44 percent as of Tuesday based on 4,975,926 total tests.
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Miami-Dade, which includes Miami and Miami Beach, reported 164,688 cases of the virus and 2,923 deaths as of Tuesday. Nearby Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, reported 74,689 cases and 1,288 deaths. Palm Beach County, which includes Palm Beach, West Palm and Boca Raton, reported 44,305 cases and 1,216 deaths.
Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, reported 39,751 cases of the virus and 591 deaths while Orange County, which includes Orlando, reported 38,147 cases and 412 deaths.
Sarasota County, which includes the city of Sarasota, reported 7,671 cases of the virus and 239deaths. Manatee County, which includes Bradenton, reported 10,972 cases and 274 deaths. Pinellas County reported 21,081 cases of the virus and 710 deaths while Pasco County reported 8,600 cases and 195 deaths. Polk County, which includes Lakeland, reported 18,612 cases of the virus and 494 deaths.
The total number of deaths in Florida rose to 12,787 Tuesday, up from 12,642, a day earlier. Florida's most recent one-day record of reported deaths was set on Aug. 11. Health officials reported another deaths involving non-Florida residents who died in Florida.
The state reported 41,654 hospitalizations, up from 41,374 hospitalizations a day earlier. That represents an increase of 280 new hospitalizations over the previous day.
State health officials also reported a total of 2,576 current hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, down from 2,645 current hospitalizations a day earlier.
This article originally appeared on the Miami Patch
