FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Florida's pandemic death toll increased by 140 people on Wednesday, only the second time as many deaths have been recorded in a daily report.
In a possibly encouraging sign, the state Department of Health reported 9,785 more people have been infected by COVID-19, the second day in a row cases were under 10,000.
Still, it was more than Tuesday's 9,440 cases and it was nearly identical for the tally for the previous two Wednesdays.
Florida has been in the thick of one of the worst outbreaks anywhere in the nation. The state has reported an average of 11,115 cases per day over the past seven days.
The new cases reported Wednesday bring the total to 379,619, putting Florida behind only California and New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Data Tracker.
Florida's latest pandemic report shows the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 now stands at 5,459. The record daily death total was set last Thursday, with 156.
The latest coronavirus death count _ including one more nonresident fatality _ is the seventh time since July 9 that the figure has surpassed 100.
SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida, which accounts for 29% of Florida's population, reported 4,513 new cases in the past day, or 46.1% of the daily total for the state, according to the state Department of Health.
Broward County: 1,170 new coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday, bringing the total to 43,747. A total of 554 people have died, 12 more since Tuesday.
Palm Beach County: 555 new cases were reported, bringing the total to 27,506. A total of 724 people have died, eight more since Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County: 2,788 new cases, bringing the total to 92,345. A total of 1,358 people have died. That's 17 more than Tuesday.
TESTING AND THE POSITIVITY RATE
Florida says it has tested 3.16 million people since the pandemic began, and 12% have been positive.
Florida on Wednesday reported a 10.6% positivity rate for tests statewide in the previous 24-hour period. That's the lowest in more than two weeks.
The rate was 16.7% for Miami-Dade, 12.4% for Broward County, and 8.7% for Palm Beach. It was the lowest for Miami-Dade since July 11, and it was the lowest percentage for Broward and Palm Beach for over two weeks.
The daily positivity rate is a closely watched figure, since it's one of the numbers that indicates the prevalence of the disease in the population. In May, Florida's positivity rate was around 5%.
"The trend is much better today than the trend was two weeks ago," Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Tuesday.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The number of people being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals remained mostly unchanged Wednesday, after a recent dip in the number of available beds.
The total stood at 9,504 as of 11:31 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. About 24 hours earlier, the same report listed 9,479 patients.
Miami-Dade County has the most people hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of the new coronavirus: 2,001, a decrease of 55 since Tuesday. Next is Broward with 1,313, up by 25 since Tuesday. Palm Beach County has 605, an increase of four patients.
A different report, from the health department, shows 22,243 Florida residents have been hospitalized since the start of the pandemic.
DEATHS
Statewide: The official COVID-19 death total for Florida reached 5,459 on Wednesday. That figure includes 114 non-residents. The three South Florida counties account for 2,636 deaths, which is 48.3% of the state total.
Nationwide: Florida's death rate was about in the middle compared to other states. Florida's death rate per 100,000 people was 23.8, according to COVID Data Tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death rate is much higher in New York City with 278.7 deaths for 100,000. California has had 19.5 deaths per 100,000, and Texas has had 14 deaths.
Senior care: At least 2,495 deaths have occurred in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, a figure that represents 46.7% of the state total for coronavirus deaths of residents. Miami-Dade County has the highest number of long-term care facility deaths, with 585, or 23.5% of the total. Palm Beach County had 294 deaths, or 11.8%, and Broward accounted for 183 deaths or 7.3%.
COVID-19 is the state's deadliest infectious disease, killing three times more Floridians a day than flu/pneumonia, AIDS and viral hepatitis combined, records show. The most vulnerable to death and hospitalization are people over 65 or those who have underlying health concerns such as weakened immune systems, diabetes or obesity.
GLOBAL VIEW
U.S.: The coronavirus death toll in the United States reached 142,312 as of 11:35 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has reported 3.9 million cases, the highest total in the world.
Worldwide: The global total hit 15 million cases Wednesday, with at least 617,832 deaths, Johns Hopkins reported.
The U.S. has 4.3% of the world's population and 26.1% of the world's cases.
