FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Florida on Tuesday got another stark reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic has been so deadly _ another 247 fatalities were reported.
This means the state has had 7,526 people die from COVID-19 complications. The latest daily total is not reflective of deaths in the past 24 hours, but rather recent weeks, and it also may be from a delay caused by Tropical Storm Isaias interruptions.
Still, it's the third-highest total of fatalities reported on the state Department of Health's daily pandemic report. Last week had the most deaths logged on Friday, 257.
New COVID-19 cases also increased Tuesday, with 5,446 new diagnoses, a day after the state reported the fewest infections since June 23. That's an increase of 694 from Monday's tally.
Still, the drop in cases follows the closure of many state COVID-19 testing sites due to the storm. The test results reported on a single day typically reflect tests taken over several days.
SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida, which accounts for 29% of Florida's population, reported 1,916 new cases in the past day, or 35.2% of the daily total for the state.
Broward County: 422 new coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 58,953. A total of 790 people have died, 17 more than reported Monday.
Palm Beach County: 379 new cases, bringing the total to 34,929. A total of 876 people have died, 16 more than reported on Monday.
Miami-Dade County: 1,115 new cases, bringing the total to 124,759. A total of 1,740 people have died. That's 30 more than reported Monday.
TESTING AND POSITIVITY RATE
A total of 3.79 million people have been tested in Florida since the pandemic began, producing a positivity rate of 13.1%. The state reports that 3.29 million people tested negative and 497,330 tested positive.
The positivity rate is an important figure, since it indicates the prevalence of the disease in the state's population. In May, Florida's positivity rate was about 5%. State officials say they'd like to see it to drop to less than 10%.
For daily test results reported on Monday, Florida had a 10.9% positivity rate, an increase from Monday's 9.07%.
In South Florida the rates are 10.6% for Broward, up from Monday's 8.3%; 13.7% for Miami-Dade, down from 12.5%; and 9.8% for Palm Beach County, which is unchanged.
HOSPITALIZATIONS
The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 decreased statewide Tuesday. There were 7,836 patients at 11:31 a.m. local time, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. About 24 hours earlier, the same report listed 7,970 patients.
The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 has been declining. The total hospitalized for the disease two weeks ago was 9,479, which is 1,643 more than were hospitalized Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County has the most people hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of the new coronavirus: 1,716 patients, an increase of 61 since Monday. Next is Broward with 1,103, a decrease of 56. Palm Beach County has 488, a decrease of 33.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 27,952 have been hospitalized, according to the state health department. That's an increase of 13,127 patients since July 1, when the total stood at 14,825.
Experts say people older than 65 are most vulnerable to hospitalization and death, along with people who have underlying health issues, including weakened immune systems, diabetes or obesity.
DEATHS
Statewide: The official COVID-19 death total for Florida reached 7,526 on Tuesday. That figure includes 124 people who were not residents. The three South Florida counties account for 3,406 deaths, or 45.3% of the state total.
Seniors: At least 3,155 deaths have occurred among residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, a figure that represents 42.6% of the state total for coronavirus deaths of residents.
Miami-Dade County has the highest number of long-term care facility deaths, with 616, or 19.5% of the total. Palm Beach County had 351 deaths, or 11.1%, and Broward accounted for 219 deaths, or 6.9%.
Nationwide: Florida has reported an average of about 184 deaths per day, or 1,283 total over the past seven days. Florida's death rate ranks 19th in the United States, compared with other states and the District of Columbia, with 33 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID Data Tracker.
