Five straight days of 1K-plus coronavirus cases in Florida

For five consecutive days, state health officials have confirmed more than 1,000 cases of the novel coronavirus as the state moves forward with reopening.

Officials confirmed 1,180 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, raising the state’s total number of diagnoses to 63,938 on Sunday. The last time Florida saw five straight days surpassing 1,000 new cases was between April 7 and April 11, during the virus’ peak in the state.

But while new cases are coming in at a faster clip, the increase can in part be attributed to an increase in testing. On Saturday, the state received 57,082 individuals’ test results, topped only by the 77,934 people’s results it received on May 19.

Florida has received as many as 77,934 individuals’ results in a single day and has tested more than 1 million people, but Gov. Ron DeSantis and Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz have said the demand for tests falls short of the state’s expanded testing apparatus.

Saturday also marked the most cases reported in a single calendar day, rather than a 24-hour period, with 1,433 confirmed new cases.

“In Florida, only 2.6% of new COVID cases tested positive on June 6 which is significant as great effort is being made to test all who may be positive,” DeSantis’ spokesperson tweeted Sunday. “(DeSantis) continues to monitor the data as the state moves forward into Phase 2 of economic reopening.”

And the recent expansion in new cases has happened mostly without an increase in the positivity rate among people who didn’t previously have the virus. Additionally, the share of hospital admissions for coughs, fever and shortness of breath have all continued trending down.

The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday reported 13 more fatalities tied to COVID-19, raising the state’s death toll to 2,786, including 86 non-Floridians who died in the state. Another 52 people were hospitalized, raising the number of people hospitalized with the disease throughout the pandemic to 11,215.

The most deaths in a single day, rather than when the death was reported, was 59 on May 4.

At least 1,388 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died throughout the pandemic, six more than by Saturday’s report.

South Florida’s Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties still remain the state’s largest hot spots of the virus since DOH officials confirmed the first two Florida cases three months ago and are not entering Phase Two along with the state’s 64 other counties.

Since Saturday’s report, 248 people in Miami-Dade County have tested positive, raising the overall COVID-19 caseload there to 19,547 people. At least 776 people have died in the county, including visitors.

Broward County registered 114 new cases, raising its total to 7,804, and 360 people have died. Palm Beach County now has 7,230 cases after DOH showed 156 new reports and 385 fatalities throughout the pandemic.

Four other counties have more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases: Hillsborough with 2,748, Orange with 2,316, Lee with 2,316 and Collier — which crossed that threshold Sunday — with 2,039. Four more have upward of 1,000 cases: Duval with 1,792, Pinellas with 1,584, Manatee with 1,189 and Polk with 1,178.

Escambia County is the next closest to crossing that threshold, now with 888 cases.

In Phase Two of Florida’s reopening, which began Friday, movie theaters, bars and casinos in all counties but Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach can open at 50% capacity. On Monday, Miami-Dade will reopen gyms, summer camps and short-term vacation rentals.