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Florida has again shattered the daily record of newly reported COVID-19 cases with 8,942 new diagnoses Friday.
In total, 122,960 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the Sunshine State, including 2,386 non-residents. The prior daily record was 5,511, set Wednesday.
Before the latest spike, the state’s one-day record for confirmed coronavirus cases was 1,601, set in mid-May. Since Monday, when the case total crossed 100,000, confirmed cases have grown by more than 20%.
Another 39 Florida residents died since Thursday’s report, raising the death toll to 3,366. And two non-Floridians died, lifting the count of dead visitors to 98.
For the first time Friday, health officials included the count of non-resident deaths on its public-facing report. Previously, that data was available through the Department of Health (DOH)’s data portal, also free to the public.
Officials counted 212 new hospitalizations with the virus, lifting the total count of resident hospitalizations to 13,987. DOH had not updated its data portal at the time of publication.
At the start of the month, the state made headlines for hitting 1,000 new cases over consecutive days. But as new cases have quadrupled in the past two weeks and Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ rhetoric has shifted, the May lull in COVID-19 is well in the past.
The latest bout has mostly affected young Floridians, the Governor says, partially why the state hasn’t seen a similar influx in hospitalizations. The median age of new cases has hovered in the low 30’s in the past week, 34 on Thursday.
“Not huge clinical consequences, but in terms of spread and in terms of some of the vulnerable populations eventually seeping in there, certainly a cause for concern,” he told reporters in Tallahassee Saturday.
And he says young people alone have driven up the positivity rate of new cases, which was 13.1% Thursday — about 10 percentage points higher than what the state saw when the pandemic. The high positivity rate also coincided with a near-record 71,433 new test results Thursday, leading to Friday’s spike in cases.
Even as cases continued to rise, DeSantis has spent the last couple weeks saying Florida won’t be rolling back any of its reopening plans. And on Thursday, he suggested Florida would take a slower path toward reopening.
But Friday morning, Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears announced his department suspended the consumption of alcohol at bars statewide, a reversal of the state’s reopening plan. Patrons could still take their drinks to go, and Beshears’ announcement didn’t touch on restaurants.
Since June 5, Florida has been in Phase Two of three, which includes allowing 100% capacity at retailers and mass gatherings of 50 or less. Bars opened under Phase Two, as did movie theaters, but some chains like AMC are still not opening locations.
New cases never fully subsided in the South Florida hot spots, but have also increased there in recent weeks. DOH reported 1,532 new cases in Miami-Dade County, where now 30,196 have tested positive.
Broward County added 736 cases to reach 13,320 and Palm Beach County has 12,498 overall, including 658 on Friday.
Hillsborough County crossed 8,000 cases Friday after crossing 7,000 Thursday, now at 8,018 with 689 new positives. Cases in Pinellas County are also on the rise with 5,099 total, an increase of 430.
Orange County, another resurgent county, added 1,062 new cases to push its total to 7,848.
14 comments
Lin Shamba
June 26, 2020 at 11:41 am
Ron DeSantis, like Trump is a complete ASS, with a capital A! They could care less about lives, only their own portfolios
Please VOTE them OUT in November! #VoteBlue
Esteban Yu
June 26, 2020 at 12:05 pm
as my grandmother used to say: you didn’t want it ? – there you have it
Sonja Fitch
June 26, 2020 at 12:47 pm
Shut down and stay home! Our only “vaccine “ is social distance wash hands and wear a damn mask if you have to leave home. Duffus Desantis you did this to Florida citizens! Duffus Desantis you only did what the f…ing goptrump cult leader trump wanted. May god have mercy on your soul Desantis! Looting Lenny and Rutherford and Scott are just as guilt of kissing trump ass!
martin
June 26, 2020 at 1:03 pm
As usual, what the Media excludes from their new ‘virus is surging’ reports, is that deaths from the Corona virus are down dramatically, such as 74% here in Florida. That’s even with the rise in reported cases. CDC now says the mortality rate is .2%. Point Two Percent.
Infection and death rates are HIGHER in the cities and states that locked down. The virus is real. The reaction to it was/is a joke. Should have protected elderly and sick, let the rest catch it and develop herd immunity. In the long run more will end up dying from it because you keep trying to avoid it. Remember, like I tell the religious-like climate changers: we cannot control nature. The best we can do is try to soften the effects of what it does. Sometimes, the right thing to do is go ALONG WITH nature.
Likewise standing arm in arm protesting will do this also. But this is not reported because it just doesn’t fit the ultra-liberal left agenda.
If you want to talk science; virus has mutated and is substantially weaker today than it was even three months ago, so there’s going to be herd immunity soon and the mortality rate is well below 1% now.
James
June 26, 2020 at 1:06 pm
They are testing more young people so it is common sense there would be more testing positive. The number on ventilators or dying are the more important numbers. Are these the same “public health officials” who said it was okay to protest without social distancing but not okay to protest the lockdown or the right to open businesses?
Myestro
June 26, 2020 at 1:12 pm
The increases of virus cases were expected do to the reopening of economy and the massive testing in those states. However 85 % of the cases are asymptomatic. No doubt the negligence of not following FED guidance has a contributing factor in it. Nonetheless, it is obvious that staying home and to lock down cities is not going to solve the virus infections, the virus is out and active.
Lock down the people is not helpful, much less productive, CDC must think of any other way to keep going and moving with the virus, while people must behave responsibly. Those who so not need to go out please stay home, but when you have to go out please do so while keeping in mind the health guidelines, and those who have to go to make a living, they must go and must be mindful of the health guidelines.
By the way, the media is not helping. Rather then trying to terrorize people because of the increase of infections, they should bring up an even honest assessment in every single state. The States that opened and that will speed up testing will have an increase of cases, the virus do not distinguish Political parties.
And no, Biden has not clue in how to handle this crisis. Biden couldn’t tell you what day of the week it is, what state he is in, what office he is running for, who his opponent is, or the difference between his sister and his wife.
It is people’s choices, but over all it is the virus behavior, and God is good, say your prayers and move on responsibly living.
Ralph
June 26, 2020 at 1:33 pm
Why does the media always give the statics on NEW confirmed COVID19 cases, but they NEVER give any information if there is HIGHER DEATHS, WHY? Please be advised; a record number of new cases of COVID19 “DOES NOT” equate to a record number of NEW DEATHS. All people that contract COVID19 “DO NOT DIE” or even show signs they have it. Everyone is terrified of not just contracting COVID19, but dying from it, grow-up if this is you. What can be lethal is believing everything that the MEDIA tells you. Dying is the natural and sometimes unnatural progression of living. Life is a journey, NO-ONE is ever promised tomorrow. . If you’re living your life worrying about dying, you are not living! Life is to be enjoyed, not filled with fear. The media just loves to keep the people in a state of panic. The closer we get to the end of July with the extra $600 unemployment supplement ending the MEDIA will crank out more headlines about a 2nd or 3rd wave of COVID19 coming. If “WE the free thinking people” allow the governments to implement another lockdown, no-one will have anything to return to, “ANOTHER LOCKDOWN will be THE BEGINNING OF THE END”
Valerie Sprieser
June 26, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Hardly anyone is getting that $600 a week CARE act! I am personally owed $7,200!!!! Desantis is a crook! He is stealing all the CARE $to
Balance his books! He should drawn and quartered for all the pain and suffering and has blood on his hands for all the people who have died and will died because of his incompetence!Desantis is and incompetent crook!👹
Marconi
June 26, 2020 at 1:37 pm
Thank God the first poster and sonja were not the the generation that fought in WWII or we would all be speaking German. How many people had mild to no symptoms that didn’t go to the hospital and were never tested? I don’t know about anybody else but I’m sick and tired of hearing about COVID-19. I wear a mask and stand on the little circles and squares in businesses like a good boy. They keep testing asymptomatic people and no surprise the numbers keep going up. Big deal. Time move on. but quit shaming the rest of us who have a 99% chance of living!
Adam
June 26, 2020 at 1:42 pm
“We will continue to refine guidelines on how we can best reduce the risk of infection based on data and science.” At least until the day after Election Day.
Such a confusing virus, it only attacks gatherings of a positive nature. But pass right by someone rioting and destroying things. Mom & Pop stores most certainly will house the virus but to go inside a Target, your immune. And don’t seek spiritual enlightenment as this will most certainly unleash the virus.
Statistically speaking, most under 40 have a higher chance of dying while taking a selfie near a cliff.
In closing: the numbers are not a big surprise; Gen-Z mentality is proof that evolution has made a U-Turn.
Booner
June 26, 2020 at 2:32 pm
What is the problem with all the anti-mask Snowflakes? They are peddling selfish and ignorant right wing conspiracies. Meanwhile, they are finding fault with evidence and science-based health data and recommendations.
They have the economy reopened now but guess what? Our President denies the pandemic is a health problem, to him it is an economic problem.
The fool in the West Wing has yet to understand that Americans will not blindly step out into still dangerous conditions, with a policy of no testing that disregards millions of at-risk individuals, including his own voting bloc. His own voters are falling sick and dying.
All Trump cares about is re-election. Ron DeSantis is his useful idiot. The tip from Rebekah Jones that the Dept of Health is undercounting deaths seems to match the data being issued by the state.
In fact, by coincidence Florida’s COVID-19 official numbers began ramping up several weeks ago right after Jones left her role in state government. Unless it’s not really a coincidence but a deliberate attempt to deceive Floridians.
The increase of adverse virus data trends into unprecendented heights seems to bear out the claims that DeSantis has actively worked to deceive Florida citizens into believing the problem is much less than it actually is. It frankly stinks to high heaven and is almost as bad as Rick Scott’s taking the fifth umpteen times to deceive the courts to hide evidence of his HCA mismanagement.
People are getting fed up. Elected Republicans in Florida own the entire mess.
Sonja Fitch
June 26, 2020 at 3:22 pm
Marconi pathetic goptrump cult idiot!
Marconi
June 26, 2020 at 5:55 pm
“Marconi pathetic goptrump cult idiot!”
Sonja every time you make a post, you demonstrate to the world that you are truly the north end of a southbound mule.
I assume that you are curled up in the fetal position, thumb in your mouth, shaking in fear of another 4 years of President Trump.
Erin
June 26, 2020 at 7:23 pm
39 people died yesterday. Seriously??? Pull your heads out of your masks and realize that if you keep allowing this tabloid sensationalism, there will be no Economy left in Central Florida. Tourists won’t come, jobs will disappear, and property values will plummet. It’s a virus. You might be sick for a few days, you might not ENOUGH ALREADY!!!
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