Florida confirms 14K new COVID-19 cases, highest report since start of January

Image via AP.

The state of Florida reported its highest daily COVID-19 caseload in at least two weeks on Friday.

According to Florida Department of Health data released Saturday, the state confirmed 14,737 new cases on Friday. That surpasses the 13,404 seen on Jan. 21, and is the highest case report the state has seen since the beginning of January.

The addition of more than 14,000 cases brings the state’s total caseload since the start of the pandemic to 1,713,589 — made up of 1,682,096 residents and 31,493 non-Floridians.

The state also reported 106 new deaths in the latest report, bringing the statewide death toll to 26,360 Florida residents.

The positivity rate of tests stood at 8.71% on Friday, although the number of people testing was the highest it has been in at least two weeks with 263,231 tests administered.

As far as vaccination efforts, Florida has vaccinated 1,651,366 individuals — 296,782 of whom have completed the series. This also includes about 1,326,542 seniors who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Florida officials expect a slight uptick in the number of vaccines being distributed to states. Gov. Ron DeSantis characterized the expected boost as a “modest increase.” Florida expects to receive another 307,000 vaccines next week, an increase of about 40,000 from the prior week.

Meanwhile, Florida on Friday launched an online portal to alert individuals when appointments are available at state-supported sites, after complaints the state’s largely decentralized rollout made it challenging for residents to secure vaccinations.

The database of cases also now includes a number of Florida lawmakers who tested positive in recent days, including Sens. Gary Farmer and Loranne Ausley and Rep. Jason Shoaf.