Miami-Dade County surpasses 1,000 coronavirus cases

Miami-Dade County has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as it continues to lead Florida’s 67 counties.

Those numbers are courtesy of a Saturday morning update from the Department of Health.

It was only this past Monday that the number of known cases in the entire state of Florida crossed 1,000 for the first time. Just five days later, officials have confirmed more than 1,000 cases in Miami-Dade County alone.

It’s important to note that increase is not solely due to a rapid rise in the virus’s spread. Rather, state officials and local hospitals has begun ramping up their testing capability in recent weeks.

But that rise should also serve as an indicator that the current listing of identified cases is not yet an accurate assessment of how many people actually have the virus because even with increased testing, the state still lacks adequate supplies to test everyone who suspects they might have the virus.

Without a full understanding of who has the virus — and without a vaccine or reliable way to treat those symptoms — health officials have urged Americans to cut down on social interactions until the virus’s spread is under control.

Miami-Dade County has 1,003 positive tests in total. Those cases are made up of 981 Florida residents, 21 nonresidents and one Florida resident isolated outside the state.

The county has shot past Broward County — which neighbors Miami-Dade to the north — in terms of leading the state in confirmed cases. Broward has 814 total positives as of Saturday morning.

Despite its lead in confirmed cases in recent days, Miami-Dade only recorded its first death due to the virus on Friday. As of Saturday morning, that number has risen to three total deaths.

Most who show symptoms develop a fever or cough and may have trouble breathing, though they do recover. Older individuals and those with underlying health risks are susceptible to developing more severe symptoms, however.