Staff Reports
For the second Friday in a row, state health officials reported a testing positivity rate below 5%, according to Saturday’s COVID-19 report.
Outside of those two days, the last time Florida recorded a positivity rate was mid-June, when outbreaks began to grow across the state. In the second half of May, the positivity rate remained below 3%.
Ten percent is the state’s self-imposed target threshold, but some medical experts have pointed to 5% as when services like schools could start reopening.
Despite the low 4.97% positivity rate, the seven-day positivity rate average remained 5.85%. Out the exiting end of the rolling seven-day window was the 4.93% positivity rate from Aug. 21.
Since Friday’s report, the Department of Health diagnosed 3,197 residents and non-residents confirmed positive from morning to morning. For all-day Friday, the state diagnosed 3,207 positive residents, who had a median age of 43.
Overall, 619,003 individuals have tested positive in Florida. Of those, 612,206 are residents.
And 1,249 people have now died in Florida, including 11,105 residents. DOH confirmed 149 resident fatalities since its previous report and removed one resident death from its logs. The department also raised the tally for non-resident deaths by two.
Earlier this month, officials counted a record 276 dead residents in one day. Since then, daily deaths have been declining.
Even though the positivity rate shows favorable signs, Gov. Ron DeSantis has stopped emphasizing the rate and is instead pointing to emergency department metrics. Emergency department visits and the statewide hospital census, DeSantis says, offer realtime data and aren’t contingent on reporting from private testing labs.
The week of July 5 saw 6,255 emergency department visits with flu-like illnesses and 15,999 for illnesses like COVID-19. For the week of Aug. 16, six weeks later, those visits dropped to 2,001 and 4,097 respectively.
Overall, 38,314 Floridians have been hospitalized, an increase of 285 since Friday’s report. But the Agency for Health Care Administration reports that 3,810 people are currently hospitalized with the disease, down 185 from 24 hours earlier and the lowest since the agency began reporting that metric.
DOH has received results from 4.6 million Floridians and 19,000 non-residents tested for the virus. Among those tested were 72,577 individuals tested Friday.
As schools reopen, DOH is tracking cases in the state’s youth. But the department hasn’t updated the report since Wednesday.
That followed the department removing a separate report on schools and higher education institutions Tuesday, according to the Florida Times-Union, after leaving it began publishing versions of it daily over the weekend prior.
As of Wednesday, 48,928 Floridians 17 or younger have tested positive, 611 have been hospitalized and eight have died. The youngest person to die in Florida was a 6-year-old Hillsborough County girl whose death the state reported on Friday.
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran‘s school reopening order is back in effect after an appeals court Friday reinstituted a stay on a lower court’s ruling. Several more school districts will reopen Monday using reopening orders approved the Department of Education.
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Editor’s note on methodology: The Florida Department of Health releases new data every morning around 10:45 a.m. The total number reported in those daily reports include the previous day’s totals as well as the most up-to-date data as of about 9:30 a.m.
Florida Politics uses the report-over-report increase to document the number of new cases each day because it represents the most up-to-date data available. Some of the more specific data, including positivity rates and demographics, consider a different data set that includes only cases reported the previous day.
This is important to note because the DOH report lists different daily totals than our methodology to show day-over-day trends. Their numbers do not include non-residents who tested positive in the state and they only include single-day data, therefore some data in the DOH report may appear lower than what we report.
Our methodology was established based on careful consideration among our editorial staff to capture both the most recent and accurate trends.
2 comments
Joe Fatala
August 29, 2020 at 4:25 pm
“The youngest person to die in Florida was a 6-year-old.” And on it goes. Another victim of the Sociopath in the White House’s incompetence.
Margan lustin
August 29, 2020 at 5:52 pm
You are still reporting de santis 3 weeks now “”new” changed way he says quoted again in this report again..that he uses hospital er visits and diagnosis ONLY TO REPORT THE TOTAL POSITIVE DAILY CASES. LEAVING OUT OVER 3 WEEKS of thousands positive home quarartined to infect familes.LEAVING OUt
OVER 3 WEEKS of daily THOUSANDS positive asymtomatic carriers.
Saying hospital diagnosis better than the many private labs who reported accurate daily TOVAL ALL DAILY POSITIVE CASES AND NEGATIVE IN 1 TO 3 DAYS.
DE SANTIS NOT WANTING POSITIVE DAILY CASES ANYMORE CONTINGENT ON PRIVATE LABS IS LETTING HIM REPORT ONLY ER HOSPITAL POSITIVE CASES!!!
HE FIRED ALL LABS OVER 3 WEEKS AGO DOING FASTER
TRUE RESULTS DAILY WHENOUGH WERE 15000 13000 DAILY.
SO HE COULD OVERWHELMED FEW LEFT LABS SO 3 WEEKS TAKES 2 WEEKS RESULTS..PEOPLE WAIT AT HOME..THOUSANDS DIE HOME WEEKLY LAST 3 WEEKS BUT UNDER DE SANTIS EXCUSES FOR ONLY COUNTING ER AND HOSPITALIZATIONS DIAGNOSIS DAILY HE’S LYING AND HIDING DAILY OVER 3 WEEKS TRUE POSITIVE TOTALS WE GOT BEFORE HE STOPPED COUNTING ALL POSITIVE CASES EXCEPT HIS IN HOSPITALS
AS HE REPORTS DECLINING AT 4000 OR 3000 DAILY IS BLANTANT LIE.THAT’S JUST DIAGNOSIS FROM HOSPITALS VISITS.NOT 3 TIMES MORE ACTUAL TESTED POSITIVE AT ALL SITES EACH DAY.
3X 4000 IS 12000 POSITIVE TESTS DAILY I TRUTH.
HE REPORTS 150 DEAD LAST 24 HRS. FROM ONLY HOSPITALS WITH CHANGED TRICK SINCE AUG 5.
EVEN WITH HIS NEW TRICK METRIC THAT’S 1050 DEAD EVERY 7 DAYS.THAT’S WAY TOO HIGH. 4200 DEAD STILL EVERY 4 WEEKS. NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN 5000 EVERY 4 WEEKS BEFORE HE CHANGED TRUE REPORTING.
THAT MANY DEAD IN HOSPITALS ONLY …CLEARLY SHOWS THAT DEAD ARE MUCH HIGHER DAILY THAN AT HIGHEST RECORD DAY EVER STILL ONGOING 7 WEEKS.
NOTHING HAS DECLINED IN FLORIDA,IT’S HIGHER DEATHS THAN WORST DAYS BECAUSE 3 WEEKS AGO DE SANTIS STARTED COUNTING ONLY…HOSPITAL DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS IGNORING THOUSANDS DAILY POSITIVE TESTED AT FLA SITES QUARANTINING AND DYING NOT COUNTED AT HOME FROM VIRUS BY DE SANTIS SINCE EARLY AUGUST.
THESE 4 WEEK OLD MANIPULATIONS IN CHANGES DELIBERATELY DONE TO CLAIM FLA VIRUS DECLINING WHEN IT’S BEEN OUT OF CONTROL RISING SINCE JULY ONGOING.
EVEN HIS ONLY 150 DEAD EVERY 24 HRS IN JUST HOSPITALS IS HORRIFIC HIGH WEEKLY DEATHS AND REQUIRE DRASTIC STEPS AT STATE LEVEL TO CLOSE CAUSES OF HIS ADMITTED OVER 1000 DEAD ONGOING STILL EVERY SINGLE WEEK.THAT’S MASS MURDER AND HIDING TRUTH NOT COUNTING DEAD AT HOME WAITING FOR HIS DELIBERATE DELAYED 2 WEEK RESULTS.
BEFORE EARLY AUGUST CASES 15000 AND DEATHS OVER 259 DAILY.SO HE CHANGED THE SAME RECORD HIGH CASES AND DEATHS NUMBERS SINCE THEN BY REPORTING JUST HOSPITAL DIAGNOSIS AND DEATHS.
DEPENDING AND CONTINGENT ON MANY NOW FIRED LABS. GAVE US MORE ACCURATE CASES AND DEATHS AT ONGOING ALARMING RECORD HIGHS DAILY.
IT IS NOT BETTER..NOT BETTER NOT USE THOSE TRUE NUMBERS..AS DE SANTIS LIES AS HE SWITCHED TO JUST ER VISIT’S AND JUST HOSPITAL DEATHS TO FAKE DECLINING WHEN ZERO DECLINING AND ACTUALLY INCREASING DEATHS AND CASES IF HE RETURNED TO MORE HONEST FULL REPORTING DONE BEFORE AUGUST 5.
POSITIVITY RATE HE NOW CRIMINALLY BASES ON JUST HOSPITAL NUMBERS LEAVING OUT TWO THIRDS POSITIVE TESTED AT SITES SINCE AUGUST 5.RATE IS AT OVER 16 TO 22 PERCENT DAILY IF ALL POSITIVES DAILY COUNTED AS SHOULD LEGALLY BE DONE AS WAS BEFORE AUGUST 5.
THIS FALSE REPORTING OVER 3 WEEKS TO THE PUBLIC.AND QUOTED BY MEDIA,LEADS PEOPLE FALSELY TO THINK LESS EXPOSURE WHEN IT’S INCREASING DAILY WORSE.
DE SANTIS IS DOING THIS 3 WEEK OLD PORTION OF POSITIVE TESTS DAILY ONLY JUST SO TRUMP CAN SAY VIRUS BETTER.WHEN IN TRUTH IF ALL COUNTED AND CONTINGENT ON HUGE PAST LABS THAT GAVE TRUE POSITIVE NUMBERS IT CLEARLY WOULD SHOW 15000 PLUS CASES DAILY AND OVER 260 DEAD DAILY AND RISING.
SO TRUMP AND DE SANTIS FIRED THEM CUT FUNDS FOR THEM OFF TO HIDE THAT AMERICA AND FLORIDA ARE ON SAME UPWARD TRACK WORSE EVERY WEEK FOR 7 WEEKS AND SINCE THEN ACTUALLY WORSE EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
THEY DONT ALLOW MEDICAL EXAMINERS TO REPORT PUBLICLY FOR MONTHSN TRUE DEATHS FROM VIRUS AT HOME.TRUMP AND DE SANTIS BOTH ORDERED ALL DATA MUST GO ..ONLY…TO THEIR STAFF NOT PUBLIC ANYMORE.
TO HIDE OUT OF CONTROL DEATHS AND CASES ON AND ON STILL RECORD HIGHS IF USED ENOUGH LABS AGAIN GET FAST RESULTS BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. FOR OVER 3 WEEKS THIS CHANGED TRACKING DEATHS AND CASES METHODS ARE HIDING TWO THIRDS DAILY OF BOTH DISASTROUS DEATHS AND ASTRONOMICAL CASES.
BY ONLY COUNTING HOSPITALS REPORTING. NOT SITES TESTED RESULTED WHICH IS TWO THIRDS DAILY NOT COUNTED.
BECAUSE WHEN SYMPTOMS SICK PEOPLE GO SITES NOT HOSPITALS GET TESTS. BECAUSE CANT GET IN HOSPITAL UNLESS POSITIVE TEST. SO DIE AT HOME WAITING 2 WEEKS TOO LATE GET RESULTS BECAUSE DE SANTIS AND TRUMP CUT FUNDS FIRED MOST LABS TO BE ABLE NOT COUNT VIRUS THOUSANDS WEEKLY DEAD AT HOME.
EXPOSE THIS.IT’S NOT FAIR TO VOTERS TO HAVE SUCH OBVIOUS CHANGES THAT KILL ALARMING PEOPLE IN CATASTROPHIC NUMBERS DAILY BY NOT REPORTING true VIRUS NUMBERS AND DEATHS MUCH HIGHER WEEK AFTER WEEK DUE TO DEADLY DE SANTIS AND TRUMP CHANGES.
VOTERS HAVE RIGHT TO KNOW THESE NEW 3 WEEK OLD CHANGES ARE NOT TRUE FOR CASES OR DEATHS.
AND DEATHS AT HOSPITALS ONLY STILL OVER 1100 A WEEK EVERY SINGLE WEEK.PRESS REPORTS LOWER THAN JULY.
IDIOTS,THAT’S BECAUSE AUGUST 5 TRUMP AND DE SANTIS STOPPED COUNTING ALL DEATHS AND CASES DAILY AND CHANGED TO SMALLER PORTON JUST HOSPITALS!!
STUPID NOT EXPOSE THE LIMITATIONS OF TRUE DEATHS AND CASES THESE CHANGES SHOW SINCE EARLY AUGUST JUST TO LIE TO PEOPLE SO BOTH CAN PRETEND RUNAWAY VIRUS OUT OF CONTROL IS DECLINING..WHEN IT’S RISING STILL..AND NO WAY DECLINING.NEITHER HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO CAUSE ANY DECLINING OR SLOWING SPREAD.
NOW TO GET MORE MILLIONS IN AMERICA TIME DIE AT HOME FROM VIRUS NOT COUNTED BY TRUMP OR DE SANTIS TRUMP ORDERED CDC TO NOT TEST ANYONE EXPOSED ANYMORE!!TO NOT TEST ANYMORE ASytomatic CARRIERS
WHO now unknowingly expose FAST MANY millions IN AMERICA AND FLORIDA who will also die at home waiting for deliberately delayed 2 weeks results and these new many millions now won’t be counted as dead just so trump can try get back a job he horribly failed at.
The cost in true virus deaths by november will be astronomically increased due to trumps evil latest plans he ordered cdc to do.
Some Democrat governors refusing to stop testsmoking and have more die just from trumps political ego.trumpscience newe slowing stopping tests goes opposite of everything needed in tests to slow virus and he doesn’t care,
Because he’s setup nationwide and in fla new tracking and reporting changes 3 weeks ago that are totally controlled by him and de santis to lie about the increasing deaths and cases not ever declined but rising since july.
Expose the small portion now reported using just hospitals not all daily site tests positive and expose they both put in place using lame excuses reporting deaths only from hospitals when majority are dead thousands weekly ongoing at home waiting results not reported as trump set up months ago a trump group only ones get medical examiners reports of virus at home deaths and it gets buried.
Expose these changes Aug 5.expose changed cdc did per trump orders as they then just listed cdc task force members with Dr fauci…implying falsely he approved..when Dr faucI was in hospital and would never have approved cdc guidelines ordered by trump to cause deaths at home so not counted since late July anymore.dr faucI said new cdc guidelines will kill huge numbers more and spread virus disastrously even faster. Trump and de santis don’t care.
BECAUSE WITH MOST LABS THEY FIRED THEY KNOW MILLIONS AT HOME DEAD FROM VIRUS WAITING THEIR CAUSED 2 WEEK DELAYED RESULTS WIPONT BE COUNTED.BECAUSE ALL OF YOU LET THEM ONLY COUNT HOSPITAL DEAD SINCE OVER 3 WEEKS.
ALL INCREASED HORRIFICALLY AMERICANS DEATHS FOR MONTHS ONGOING JUST SO TRUMP CAN LIE TRY GET ELECTED TO THEN IGNORE VIRUS DEATHS ONGOING JUST AS HE’S DOING NOW.JUST AS HE’S DONE TO SINCE BEGINNING.
YOU ALL OWE IT TO VOTERS TO UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES MADE EARLY AUGUST IN REPORTING AND CDC CHANGES ARE HIDING AT LEAST 3X MORE CASES AND DEATHS DAILY AND INCREASING.YOU ALL OWE IT TO VOTERS TO EXPOSE THIS SO THEY CAN PROTEST AND VOTE OUT MORE deaths from trump if he’s back.no vaccine either.he wont
spend the money
WHY DON’T DEMOCRATS EXPOSE THE FLA AND TRUMP CHANGES ONLY COUNTING HOSPITALS DEATHS AND CASES SINCE AUG 5???Not COUNTING ALL SITE POSITIVE CASES AND AT HOME VIRUS REPORTED DEATHS ONLY GIVEN TO THEM BY MEDICAL EXAMINERS..???
THIS EXPOSE IS NEEDED BY BIDEN TO TELL VOTERS,NOW.SO THEY KNOW TRUMP LIES AND DE SANTIS LIES ARE ABOUT VIRUS NUMBERS DECLINING IS BECAUSE THEY CHANGED METRICS TO TRACK AND THESE CAUSE HUGE INCREASES IN DEATHS AND CASES…AND NEW AUGUST 5 CHANGES AND NEW CDC RULES ARE HIDING THAT NOW FAST MILLIONS WILL DIE..AND UNLESS YOU EXPOSE THESE TRICKS THEY WILL GET AWAY WITH IT.
TELL BIDEN.HE MUST EXPOSE FALSE TACTICS TRUMP SET UP START IN starting early AUGUST.
Cases 15000 why he did it.now probably 25000 daily as even hospital deaths in fla and nation unacceptable mass murder.tell biden how trump has set up this fraud.
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