Despite vaccine push, South Florida COVID-19 death toll still shows no signs of slowing

South Florida recorded its highest daily mark of newly-reported COVID-19 deaths in months Friday, as a Department of Health (DOH) report showed another 64 deaths across the tri-county area.

Friday is the third day in the previous nine that South Florida has seen at least 63 deaths. There have been at least 30 newly-reported deaths in 20 of the last 22 days in South Florida. Those reports show when deaths were reported, not necessarily when they occurred.

New COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward. But South Florida has now seen 9,665 individuals die from the virus, as the state continues racing to vaccinate the region’s elderly population.

Friday’s DOH data showed 2,941 newly-reported COVID-19 cases, bringing South Florida’s overall total to nearly 688,000.

Newly-reported cases are down week-to-week in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Miami-Dade and Palm Beach are also showing a week-to-week decline in the case positivity rate. Broward’s positivity rate has been stagnant since last week. But overall, those metrics show new cases declining.

It’s unclear when the death toll will begin falling as well. That metrics has increased each of the last two days across the region, with similar sustained totals in each county over the previous three weeks.

Here are some of the weekly numbers for the previous three weeks throughout the South Florida tri-county area:

Miami-Dade

— Jan. 22-28: 37 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 20 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,902 new confirmed cases per day, 8.2% positivity rate

— Jan. 29-Feb. 4: 33 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 21 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,732 new confirmed cases per day, 7% positivity rate

— Feb. 5-11: 26 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 22 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,484 new confirmed cases per day, 6.7% positivity rate

Broward

— Jan. 22-28: 24 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 9 newly-reported deaths per day, 965 new confirmed cases per day, 8.2% positivity rate

— Jan. 29-Feb. 4: 27 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 11 newly-reported deaths per day, 929 new confirmed cases per day, 7% positivity rate

— Feb. 5-11: 26 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 11 newly-reported deaths per day, 842 new confirmed cases per day, 7% positivity rate

Palm Beach

— Jan. 22-28: 15 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 12 newly-reported deaths per day, 663 new confirmed cases per day, 8.6% positivity rate

— Jan. 29-Feb. 4: 19 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 12 newly-reported deaths per day, 629 new confirmed cases per day, 7% positivity rate

— Feb. 5-11: 22 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 9 newly-reported deaths per day, 469 new confirmed cases per day, 6.5% positivity rate