69 COVID-19 fatalities reported Friday, state returns record-low share of new cases

Face Medical Surgical White Mask with COVID-19 inscription lying on Florida State Flag. Coronavirus in Florida
Friday also brought 371 new cases and the lowest percentage return of new positives.

State health officials confirmed the deaths of 69 Floridians identified with COVID-19 in a Friday report from state health officials.

At least 1,669 Floridians have died with the novel coronavirus. Another 371 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the 24 hours since Thursday’s report, raising the state’s total number of confirmed cases to 39,199, including 1,027 among non-residents.

On Thursday, a record-low 1.89% tests among people who had never tested positive returned positive for the first time. That’s down from around 10% when the state started tracking the metric less than three weeks ago and down from the previous record low of 2.55% on Monday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted that as his preferred metric to track the trajectory of the disease as testing becomes more widespread.

The disease has sent 6,929 Floridians to the hospital, including 164 cases reported in Friday’s report issued jointly by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Division of Emergency Management.

Now 665 residents and staff of longterm care facilities, which include nursing homes and assisted living facilities, have died due to complications from COVID-19. As of Friday, 470 facilities have residents or staff currently battling a known infection.

With the majority of the state partially reopened Monday, DeSantis and the DOH are eyeing a continued decline in either the total number of confirmed positive cases or the share of newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases. The state’s hot spots in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties did not reopen with the rest of the state.

In Miami-Dade, DOH reported 13,664 total diagnosed cases and 468 deaths, an increase from 13,585 and 454 Friday, respectively. In Broward, the state confirmed 5,688 cases, up from 5,677, and 248 deaths, an additional 18 over Thursday’s count. In Palm Beach, 3,615 people have tested positive, an increase from 3,587, with seven additional deaths, pushing the death toll there to 229.

Orange, Hillsborough, Lee and Duval counties have also long-since crossed 1,000 cases. Patients have been diagnosed in each of the state’s 67 counties.

DeSantis has highlighted Orange County, with 1,478 cases, Hillsborough County, with 1,371, and Duval County, with 1,088, as the state’s examples of growing hot spots that were stamped out. However, Lee County has remained fairly consistent in its number of daily reported cases, surpassing Duval County and approaching Hillsborough County with 1,219 cases total.

DOH has tested 514,017 people with 1,433 awaiting results from department-coordinated labs. However, thousands more likely await results from private labs.

Staff Reports


One comment

  • Margaret Blustine

    May 8, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    True new cases number is 826 not falready 500 yesterday. John Hopkins chart right.de santis now leaving out snowbirds cases visitors been here many months.826 is still at highest new cases since beginning. No control no flattening.fla told by trump do reopening despite fla never meeting declining guidelines.while trump see saws with 14 day fedl guidelines and says publicly reopen if governors want to! Obviously trump and his task force have conned beguiled or gotten agreement from governors to reopen in unsafe phases as all these experiment used states have steady total rising cases and deaths! Trump is doing herd immunity experiment on fla and sevl states like de santis fla.it will kill huge people fast now. It will infect ongoing so many workers fast spreading economy will soon be totally crashed.when total cases and deaths rising more every day in fla opening more to cause monumental now exposure to 20 million in fla is obviously not in compliance fedl guidelines at all and will soon destroy short opening of all businesses as millions more need unemployment.this trump experiment he calls his new plan focus was stop trying slow spread but now cause it run loose hoping enough workers left help economy.its doomed to fail horribly.Democrat leaders Friday letter is alerting fla and america that 325 million americans are now being used thru stupid governors to do Hitler experiment on America starting with fla.letting more unknown infected and carriers loose on fla and other states while daily totals rising way too high and not enough testing is suicidal experiment trump doing right now. Numbers from reliable data show no flattening.just daily increasing at high cases.even where good testing been many weeks sevl places these are new rising cases. America is not to continue as an experiment as trump has done.it will doom economy.he doesn’t understand facts of reality.doesent want hear them.is insane.de santis will now say no response false plans data is again lies to placate as he is managed by trump herd immunity mentality and de santis now wI’ll kill murder so many all ages in fla and onto spreading virus thru nation expoentially thru the planet.democrats and Republican governors must together stop this doomed to destroy economy and nation now.trump has never locked down nation as he could have in February or any time.de santis never did either.that’s why fla and nation are increasing cases deaths more than rest of world combined.majority of americans like most could countries would have strict lockdowned.trump has early on said herd immunity let it go see what happens.he planned it all along why he helped so little delayed false Promises to governors neglect use cares act etc etc.he doesn’t want to bother.his ego wrongly thinks he can win against a rapid fire virus.now fla increasing still.will in 3 weeks be cause of national out of control death sick leading to total economy collapse by august.de santis new lies hope won’t fool democratic members who see horrific experiment unleashed on fla and america all ages. De santis conned.trump is a con artist insanely consumed with power he continually uses to destroy america ONLY because governors and both parties are letting him.they know he’s stupid irrational and has no conscience. Somebody has to gather fast a way to stop reopening a horrific daily still total increasing cases and deaths in fla and into America on to planet.he is unfit to lead.he is evil and should be ignored by ALL governors now.together.he gives orders to gullible governors beguiling conning them with forceful useless words with the order embedded in them reopen now.he says 14 days declining then encourages few thousand protesters.they do not reflect 325 million people at all.de santis wimps under money issues business pressure when doing that hastens destroyed economy ongoing without letup years. Democratic fla leaders sent letter.pls act fast with other states stop this experiment now before too late.Switzerland small population didn’t work.325 million in usa virus will sicken kill murder so many workers economy crash stock market crash both parties crash long before november.go on TV meet goverrors like calif doing right track.act fast.trump lack of slowing spread delays promises was and is to let his deadly plan let virus runtil loose.it won’t work.majority americans see America has total cases deaths daily higher higher.trump ratings sinking fast.call conference act get his plan now using fla and wimp governors to destroy lives and economy.rapid fire death to both.before in 2 weeks is too late stop it.people need to know and it must be stopped by fast action now.no model can predict what 325 million people exposed to virus now will do as NO controls restrictions now to slow spread possible.325 million 20 million in fla . This population number and such deadly virus will destroy america fast,too many exposed.de santis it’s fact fla is 23rd worse in 50 states have control at all and worse response still happening.too little testing done per capita is 23rd worst testing per capita.plus useless talk abt test sites.mobile truckear lying rigging case numbers.even those you allow known way too high to open.is unleash virus.is not as you lie media overplaying.since started fla daily has increasing cases deaths til 6th worse numbers months in nation.Italy did strict lockdown hotspots.de only.you did loose lockdown hotspots.you caused hot spots listening to trump business mistakes.Italy long lockdown.fla barely 5 weeks too loose one.fla people move all over fla.look at daily steady increase sevl counties treasure coast with good testing a month.all new cases. Congress leaders must act fast outside of fedl govt with directly fast action with all governors.trump conning every one with insane plan.won’t help him but will destroy america economy now totally.bypass his puppet deadly cowering people around him.go direct fast governors action.letter is great normal times.due rapid fire spread action of virus action apart from govt with governors mayors etc direct must be done fast as unleashing virus nationwide with now enormous exposure happened phase 1
    Look what loose restrictions did to date in america.now basically none as 25 percent talking infecting thousands many thousandsall states is catrosphic to people and economy.now de santis open palm Beach also rising numbers is trumps insanity.trump is manipulating America long time now to be Hitler mentality experiment and will fail even worse than hitters plan.trump is dangerous manipulative and out of touch with reality don’t let him continue this.go direct fast all governors.go uniTed nations now as trumps plan will reinfect and destroy globally fast as he manipulated now unleashing virus exposure to 325 million americans now traveling internationally thousands of carriers and unknown infected.de desantis will respond deflecting false words.forget that.form governors nationwide action fast stop states reopening without 14 days declining numbers and 0 new cases.normal political protocol doesn’t exist anymore.don’t do it.take action as Democrat Congress and ignore trump influence on conned governors.outsmart his insanity.take action needed fast bring in threat so apparent now to other countries worldwide.

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