19 deaths, nearly 600 new coronavirus cases reported overnight in Florida

At least 19 additional Floridians have died of complications from the novel coronavirus, according to the Department of Health Thursday, raising the state’s death toll to 163.

Health officials confirmed 577 more cases of COVID-19, raising the total number of positive cases in Florida to 9,585. That includes 337 non-Florida residents tested and isolated in the state and 1,215 people who have been hospitalized.

Charlotte, Monroe and Putnam counties recorded their first fatalities. In Charlotte, a 93-year-old woman who had contact with a known positive individual passed away, but the Monroe and Putnam cases involved relatively young men, 55 and 54 respectively. The Monroe man had traveled to New York and had contact with a known case.

Miami-Dade and Broward counties each confirmed five deaths Thursday morning. Their ages ranged from 57 to 90, including an 85-year-old male who had recently traveled to Spain.

In Miami-Dade, 25 people have died while 22 have died in Broward. But Palm Beach County still leads the state with 29 fatal cases after an 80 year-old man and 72-year-old woman passed away there.

A seventh person, an 82-year-old male who had traveled to Ohio and had contact with a known case, died in Pinellas County. In Orange County, a 80-year-old female was the sixth county resident to die. In Lee County, an eleventh person, an 85-year-old female, passed away and in Highlands County, a second person, an 82-year-old male who had contact with a known case, also died.

Over a 24-hour period ending Thursday evening, officials confirmed 43 deaths in the state. That morning, the state confirmed 27 deaths overnight.

While the disease can be serious and deadly for anyone — the youngest fatality in the state was a 28-year-old man — the most at risk demographics are the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Of the state’s 9,585 cases, 143 are among long-term care facilities’ residents or staff.

After crossing 3,000 coronavirus cases, Miami-Dade County is home to nearly a third, of the state’s total cases and the City of Miami has 1,752 cases. Broward County, with the second-most cases, now has a little more than half that of Miami-Dade with 1,565 cases.

Palm Beach County has 781 cases, Orange County has 589 cases and Hillsborough County has 440 cases.

Only six of the state’s 67 counties — Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Liberty and Taylor — have no reported cases after a non-Florida resident in Franklin County tested positive.

In recent weeks, the state has exploded its daily testing capability. Nearly 93,000 people have now been tested for the coronavirus and at least 1,225 people are awaiting their results. On Thursday, 13,803 tests came in, a 50% increase over the previous day’s new 9,197 results, previously the most results returned in a day.

Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ statewide stay-at-home order began Friday morning, now with a change that exacerbated confusion surrounding whether the state order preempts those approved at the local level.

With a Thursday executive order, the Governor suspended home foreclosures and evictions for 45 days. The Supreme Court had previously ordered a pause on such actions through April 17.

“I’m not sure you’re going to rent out a lot of new places anyways, but you never know how people are going to act,” DeSantis told reporters.

And while at least 12 staffers in 10 correctional facilities have COVID-19, he says releasing felons is the wrong course of action to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Criminal justice reformers and Democratic elected officials have pushed the Governor to let sick inmates out of prison.