Florida reports 6,277 new COVID-19 cases as percent positivity rises in Dade and Broward
Florida’s Department of Health confirmed 6,277 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 985,297 on Saturday. Also, 79 new resident deaths were announced, bringing the resident toll to 18,442.
Two new non-resident deaths were also announced, bringing the non-resident toll to 235, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.
Florida did not report its COVID cases or deaths on Thursday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and many testing sites were closed. On Friday, the state reported two days’ worth of figures to arrive at 17,344 cases.
The sites reopened Friday, but lines were not long at several, including Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and Mills Pond Park in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Herald news partner CBS4 reported.
Florida has the third highest number of total confirmed cases in the country after Texas and California, according to the New York Times COVID-19 database.
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Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County reported 1,466 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 new deaths, according to Florida’s Department of Health. The county has a total of 225,632 confirmed cases and 3,823 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 7.04% to 8.29% The 14-day percent positivity for the county is 8.01%.
▪ Broward County reported 793 additional confirmed cases and four new deaths. The county now has a known total of 105,877 cases and 1,652 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases increased from 6.28% to 7.53%.
▪ Palm Beach County saw 370 additional confirmed cases and two new deaths. The county now has 64,670 confirmed cases and 1,678 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases decreased from 5.58% to 5.54%.
▪ Monroe County confirmed 43 additional cases and no new deaths. The county has a known total of 3,321 cases and 27 deaths. Percent positivity for new cases decreased from 8.41% to 7.48%.
Here's the latest #COVID19 dashboard, based on data provided by @HealthyFla: https://t.co/0CuCQwnTef
The positivity rate for @JacksonHealth is now 12%. We must contain the spread of #COVID19 so we don't overwhelm our health system, & to protect essential workers. #MaskUpMiami— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) November 28, 2020
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Florida
One of the tools that officials rely on to determine whether the coronavirus situation is improving in the state is hospitalization data. Unlike testing, which might be limited or takes days to report results, hospitalizations can help give officials a real-time snapshot of how many people are severely ill with COVID-19.
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.
Previously, the state was providing only the total number of hospitalizations in its statewide and county-level data. Miami-Dade was an exception, with hospitals self-reporting a number of key metrics, including hospitalizations, to the county, which has made this data public for several months.
As of 9:46 p.m. Saturday, there were 3,927 COVID-19 patients admitted into hospitals throughout the state, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration dashboard. This is a big jump from what the state was reporting last month though it’s still less than in early August, when more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients were admitted into hospitals throughout the state.
Of Saturday’s hospitalizations, 598 were in Miami-Dade, 394 in Broward, 285 in Palm Beach and eight in Monroe, according to the agency.
Florida’s current hospitalization data does not always match the hospitalization data reported in Miami-Dade’s “New Normal” dashboard. Officials say this could be for a number of reasons, including the frequency of daily updates.
On Saturday, Miami-Dade hospitalizations for COVID-19 complications increased from 680 to 710, according to Miami-Dade County’s “New Normal” dashboard. According to Saturday’s data, 78 people were discharged and 98 people were admitted.
The state has had a total of 54,591 Florida residents hospitalized for COVID-19-related complications, according to Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard.
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COVID-19 Testing in Florida
Testing in Florida has seen steady growth since the COVID-19 crisis began.
Testing, like hospitalizations, helps officials determine the virus’ progress and plays a role in deciding whether it is safe to lift stay-at-home orders and loosen restrictions.
Epidemiologists use the testing data to create a positivity rate. The rate helps them determine if a rise in cases is because of an increase in testing or whether there’s increased transmission of the virus in the community.
On Saturday, Florida’s Department of Health reported the results of 86,401 people tested. The positivity rate of new cases (people who tested positive for the first time) increased from 6.16% to 7.12%.
