Florida added 6,790 coronavirus cases Thursday — the biggest daily increase in nearly a month — to bring the cumulative total to 2,064,525. With 69 more fatalities, 33,494 Florida residents are now dead.
COVID infections and deaths across the state are rising.
As of Thursday’s report, the latest seven-day case count is 37,096, compared to the seven days before that which was 33,312.
For deaths, it’s 537 in the past seven days, compared with 359 for the seven days before that.
Each report includes deaths from several previous days, as it can take two weeks or more for fatalities to be logged.
To date, 86,811 people have been hospitalized in Florida, according to the state’s report, which includes 182 newly reported hospitalizations since Wednesday’s update.
Across the state, 2,844 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of about 2 p.m. Thursday, including 153 in Orange County, 71 in Osceola, 46 in Lake and 54 in Seminole. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day.
Statewide, 5,979,461 people have received at least one vaccination shot including 3,398,856 who have completed their shot regimen, whether it’s the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna option or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The count is a snapshot through Wednesday, based on the report released Thursday.
Of those who have received at least the first dose, 3,342,570 are over the age of 65.
A detailed breakdown of who has been vaccinated so far can be found here.
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Now that Florida is making coronavirus shots available to people age 40 and up, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he’s going to get his vaccine this week.
DeSantis, 42, will join about 6 million people in Florida who have already received at least the first dose of a vaccine. The state has a population of 21.5 million people. He didn’t give details about when or where he’ll get his shot.
To date, 11,914,687 people have been tested in Florida, 31,253 more than Wednesday’s total.
Statewide, the latest positivity rate reported Thursday for Wednesday’s test results by the Florida Department of Health was 6.41%, but that’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. For all cases including retests of those previously infected, the latest positivity rate is 7.8%.
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Central Florida added 1,426 cases Thursday for a total of 366,864: 544 more in Orange for 124,227; 215 more in Polk for 61,390; 162 in Osceola for 39,766; 148 in Volusia for 38,413; 136 in Brevard for 37,326; 102 in Seminole for 30,154; 97 in Lake for 26,776; and 22 in Sumter for 8,812.
There were 15 new deaths across all eight Central Florida counties, bringing the region’s toll to 5,794. Polk County has the most coronavirus fatalities in the region with 1,260, followed by 1,189 in Orange, 809 in Brevard, 717 in Volusia, 607 in Lake, 487 in Osceola, 468 in Seminole and 257 in Sumter.
Central Florida accounts for over 17% of the cases statewide and over 17% of the deaths. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
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South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, accounts for nearly 39% of cases with 794,628. That includes 2,984 new cases reported Thursday among Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
South Florida’s reported deaths rose by 37 for a total of 11,197, about 33% of the state’s total.
The most recently available breakdown of Florida’s coronavirus cases can be found here. The most recently available county-by-county data can be found here.
List of mobile coronavirus and antibody testing sites in Central Florida by county
The virus has infected over 129 million people and has killed over 2.8 million worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. Nationwide, over 30.4 million people have been infected and over 552,000 have died.
Florida ranks third in the nation in known virus infections, surpassing New York. California leads with 3.5 million, followed by Texas with 2.7 million, according to the White House coronavirus report dated Wednesday.
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The U.S. has the most coronavirus deaths by far. Many Americans have resisted wearing masks and social distancing, calling such precautions an overreaction or an infringement on their liberty.
Within the U.S., California has the most deaths with 57,788, followed by New York with 49,962, and Texas with 47,278. Florida is 4th overall, but ranks 27th per capita, according to the White House.
Brazil has the second-most fatalities with 321,515, Mexico with 203,210, India with 162,927, the United Kingdom with 127,006, Italy with 109,847, Russia with 97,594, France with 95,802, Germany with 76,681, and Spain with 75,541, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Black and Hispanic people and American Indians have accounted for a disproportionate share of the deaths, underscoring the economic and health care disparities in the U.S.
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Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
