Staff Reports
Friday was the deadliest day so far in Florida’s battle against the coronavirus, as numbers released by the Department of Health reveal.
Friday morning’s report listed 34 deaths; the new total at nightfall is 46, even though not all of those cases were listed as “counted” on Friday itself.
Among the newest COVID-19 casualties: five new deaths from Broward County, doubling the total from five to 10; a 79 year old male from Dade; a 71 year old woman from Hillsborough; a 94-year-old man from Lee; a 68-year-old woman from Orange County; two women from Palm Beach County, aged 76 and 90 respectively; and a 67 year old man from St. Johns County.
The number of hospitalizations is now at 503, up from 456 in the morning.
Positive tests are up nearly 300 to 3,198 since Friday morning. Over 3,000 of those are Florida residents, a data point worth mentioning to the Department of Health.
The one hopeful sign: an actual day-over-day dip in positive tests. 497 positives on Friday represents the lowest number of new diagnoses since Tuesday.
The number of COVID-19 cases has continued to spike this week, even as more and more counties have implemented stay-at-home orders, though health officials note such efforts can take a couple of weeks to potentially “flatten the curve.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that his administration would add highway checkpoints and adding travelers from Louisiana to the state’s quarantine order to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in Florida.
These travel restrictions follow a Tuesday directive that plane travelers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut should self-isolate for 14 days upon entering Florida.
DeSantis has been staunchly criticized by Democrats, including former candidate for Governor Gwen Graham and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, for not locking don the state.
However, President Donald Trump offered an endorsement of DeSantis, “very talented guy … a very good Governor who’s doing a fantastic job for Florida.”
“Florida’s been doing very well,” Trump said, “in the sense of testing … the tests show much better results.”
“He will get it all resolved,” Trump vowed.
9 comments
Sonja Fitch
March 27, 2020 at 7:38 pm
Desantis you are just kissing trumps butt. Serve and protect all of Florida. Stupid. Not everyone from Louisiana has a tag stupid
Pam
March 27, 2020 at 10:17 pm
Lock Down our State “Florida “ what is wrong with you . You will see Governor our cases and Deaths here in our home land Florida the sunshine State will be Darkness with more deaths and more spreading cases .
Marlene
March 27, 2020 at 7:54 pm
Jan 27th :
“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine “
Feb 2nd:
“We pretty much shut it down coming in from China “
Feb 24th:
“The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. Stock market starting to look very good to me”
Feb 25:
“CDC and my administration are doing a GREAT job of handling Coronavirus.”
Feb 26:
“The 15 (US cases) within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.”
“We’re going very substantially down, not up.”
Lies. Every Single. Day.
MAGA. Imbeciles.
Judy
March 27, 2020 at 8:36 pm
The governor is a trump puppet..he is more worried about what trump thinks than he does of the people in Florida…shut the state down..how many more people have to get sick and die ???
WWGD
March 27, 2020 at 9:55 pm
What Would Gillum Do?
Marlene
March 27, 2020 at 10:12 pm
He wouldn’t be up tRump’s ass, that’s for sure.
Bob
March 27, 2020 at 11:08 pm
Shut us down and do home tests
Lisa
March 27, 2020 at 11:10 pm
Support from one moron to the other in this case. Trump must be smoking some good stuff to think the US will be back up and running by Easter…really? Idiots.
martin
March 28, 2020 at 8:07 am
I am a doctor on the front line of this. However, step back and look at what is happening; ” a 79 year old male from Dade; a 71 year old woman from Hillsborough; a 94-year-old man from Lee; a 68-year-old woman from Orange County; two women from Palm Beach County, aged 76 and 90 respectively; and a 67 year old man from St. Johns County.”
Not to discount any death, but this is media hysteria. Look at the ages of those listed. Take precautions, be safe, but please lets not get hysterical, and allow the doctors, nurses, and others to do our jobs.
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