Florida reports 3,000 new COVID cases in 24 hours for the first time

State health officials reported 3,207 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, the first time a daily report has brought more than 3,000 such cases.

Overall, the Department of Health (DOH) has reported a 85,926 cases throughout the pandemic with new cases on the rise again this month. Officials reported 44 fatalities since Wednesday’s report, raising the death toll to 3,154, including 93 non-Floridians who have died in the state. Another 189 people were hospitalized for a total of 12,862.

Previously, the most cases in a single report were 2,783, reached Tuesday.

For the first time since late April, when the state began reporting the testing positivity rate among people who weren’t previously known cases, that rate was back above 10% Tuesday. According to Thursday’s report, that rate was down slightly to 8.9% on Wednesday. Still, the rate was 3.3% two weeks ago.

Despite the rash of new cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis has attributed the increase to rising testing availability, as now more than 1.5 million people have been tested. The state and public and private partners have opened testing facilities across the hardest-hit parts of the state that are available to anyone, regardless of age or symptoms, a stark change from the early days of the pandemic.

During a Tuesday press conference, DeSantis told reporters that “we’re not rolling back” the progress made on reopening. Florida is currently in Phase Two of three.

“We’re not shutting down. We’re going to go forward,” he said. “We’re going to continue to protect the most vulnerable. We’re going to urge, continue to advise particularly our elderly population, to maintain social distancing, avoid crowds.”

Phase Two, which began June 5, included allowing 100% capacity at retailers and mass gatherings of 50 or less. It also allowed the reopening of bars and movie theaters, but some chains like AMC are still not opening locations.

Before the uptick in new cases, the Governor and Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said the demand for tests is below what the state can provide. DOH was receiving more tests each day in the first half of June than it did in the final days of May, but the share of people testing positive is also going up.

Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, which have not entered Phase Two with the rest of the state, are still the main hot spots for the virus. Cases in Hillsborough County, too, are on the rise.

DOH shows 23,854 cases for Miami-Dade County, 581 more than on Wednesday. Broward County crossed 10,000 cases to reach 10,111 after officials confirmed 299 new reports, and 382 new Palm Beach County cases pushed the total there to 9,854.

Hillsborough County has 4,610 cases, an increase of 337, and Orange County has 3,900 total cases, with 316 new reports.