Staff Reports
State officials reported 11 deaths involving the coronavirus Monday, raising Florida’s death toll to 71.
That includes eight deaths not reported in Monday’s morning update, which counted 63 deaths among 5,473 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state. Now, the state counts 5,704 confirmed cases in Florida. At least 715 people have been hospitalized, up from 633 Sunday night.
Overall, officials reported 754 new cases Monday after confirming 912 Sunday.
Officials reported the first Osceola County death in the state’s evening report, a 58-year-old man who had not traveled or had contact with a known infected individual. Broward, Citrus, Clay, Duval and Miami-Dade counties also recorded one death each while two Floridians died in Palm Beach County.
Monday’s morning report included DeSoto and Okaloosa counties’ first deaths, as well as a separate Palm Beach County case.
Broward County has 12 of the state’s fatal cases while Palm Beach County has 10. Miami-Dade, while leading the state in confirmed cases, has only reported four deaths.
Most of the state’s positive coronavirus cases are in South Florida, but the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas have become growing hot spots of the virus. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the first COVID-19 cases could have been in Florida weeks before the first case was confirmed this month and acknowledges community spread is underway in parts of the state.
Miami-Dade County has three tenths of the state’s confirmed cases, with 1,701, up more than 227 from 1,474 Sunday. And Broward County added 125 cases throughout the day to reach 1,137 reported infections by Monday evening.
Both counties have Florida National Guard-operated drive-thru testing facilities. On Tuesday, the state will open a similar site in Palm Beach County, which now has 463 reported cases.
Federal, state, hospital-based and commercial labs have tested at least 56,702 individuals, including 1,186 known people who are still awaiting their results. Pending and completed tests from decentralized labs may not immediately be reported to the state.
Of the confirmed cases, 646 individuals had traveled, 832 had interacted with a confirmed case and 418 and had done both. The source of 3,593 cases are still under investigation.
DeSantis announced a safer-at-home order for Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties during a press conference Monday at a Miami Gardens testing site. The Governor is still reluctant to issue a statewide approach, but several communities have already implemented their own sheltering order variations.
Orange County hit 300 confirmed cases by the evening after reporting 268 Sunday. Officials also report 272 cases in Hillsborough County, up from 225 the day before.
Governors and officials across the country have complained about bidding wars and access to treatment and personal protective equipment, including protective masks. Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said distributors of vital protective masks are attempting to rip off state officials, comparing the private market to a “Ponzi scheme.”
