MIAMI — Florida reported 59,487 COVID-19 cases and one new death Tuesday, according to Wednesday’s report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on Miami Herald calculations of CDC data.
In all, Florida has recorded at least 4,419,665 confirmed COVID cases and 62,542 deaths.
In the past seven days, as the omicron variant circulates, the state has added 22 deaths and 58,216 cases per day on average, according to Herald calculations of CDC data. That rolling seven-day case average is the highest it has ever been.
The CDC rates the community transmission for each Florida county as “high.”
To be considered at a high rate of transmission, new cases per 100,000 in the past seven days needs to be greater than or equal to 100, or the percentage of positive tests in the last seven days is greater than or equal to 10%.
All four South Florida counties are miles ahead of this minimum.
From Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Miami-Dade County had a case rate of 3,678 new cases per 100,000 and a 35.3% test positivity. Broward County’s case rate is at 2,496 with 38.4% test positivity. Palm Beach County’s case rate is at 1,656 with 36% test positivity. Monroe County’s case rate is at 1,287 with 32.8% test positivity.
There were 7,647 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Wednesday report. This data is reported from 236 Florida hospitals. The number of people hospitalized across the state is 733 more than the day prior, when 230 hospitals reported.
COVID-19 patients take up 14.06% of all inpatient beds in the latest report, compared to 12.72% among Tuesday’s reporting hospitals.
Omicron, so far, is not as deadly as delta’s surge last summer. Hospitalizations are approaching records set during delta’s wave from July through September.
At delta’s August peak, more than 15,000 people were hospitalized in Florida, with over 25% of all inpatient beds being filled by COVID patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Of the people hospitalized in Florida, 866 were in intensive-care units, an increase of 88 from Tuesday. That represents about 13.81% of the state’s ICU beds, compared to 12.50% the previous day.
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