Broward County crosses 10K COVID-19 cases as state hits another daily high

Broward County has now recorded more than 10,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, joining Miami-Dade County as the only two counties in the state to hit that mark.

Broward’s neighbor to the north, Palm Beach county, isn’t far behind however. As of Thursday’s report, Palm Beach had 9,854 confirmed cases.

That report shows Broward now has 10,111 recorded cases since the beginning of the outbreak. The news comes as the statewide total hit another daily high Thursday, with more than 3,200 cases reported statewide.

Miami-Dade County continues to lead the state with 23,854 cases as of Thursday.

Broward hits the grim mark just days after the Broward County School District announced schools plan to reopen in the fall. Officials say they plan to adopt a hybrid attendance model, which would allow students to be rotated through in-person facilities while remaining students learn remotely.

On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state does not plan to roll back its reopening plan despite the uptick in new cases.

DeSantis has repeatedly pointed to the state’s rate of positive cases as the numbers to look at. Raw positive reports don’t tell the whole story, given the state has increased its testing capacity. Test more people, and you will find more total positive cases, he said.

However, the rate of positive tests has now sat above 10% for the second straight day. From June 2-8, the state’s overall positivity rate — the portion of tests which come back positive — sat between 2.5% and 4.5%.

South Florida has been the epicenter of the outbreak since it began earlier this year. Recent trends have worried experts in the region. While South Florida leaders have not yet reverted any reopening measures, officials have paused plans to expand reopening.

Palm Beach County recently delayed reopening short-term rentals due to concerns. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have also agreed not to move forward with any additional reopening plans.

“There are major concerns,” Suarez said. “Now is not the time to let your guard down.”