As youth infections increase, state adds 69 deaths, 3,374 cases

Florida’s resident death toll from coronavirus rose to 33,247 with the addition of 69 more reported fatalities on Monday while also adding 3,374 more positive COVID19 cases to bring the total to 2,047,379.

With a population of about 21.5 million, close to one in 10 people in the state have now been infected. That number is closer to one in 11 nationally and one in 61 worldwide.

Cases had crept up slightly for much of last week, surpassing 5,000 for five days in a row, but both Sunday and Monday’s reports fell back below 5,000. The average daily infections, though, remain higher for the last seven days at 5,167 per day compared to 4,511 per day for the previous week.

Those higher numbers, though, show a new trend by age. While statewide cases have gone up slightly, new cases are declining among seniors 65 and older, who are deemed more vulnerable to the infection. The dip is a possible sign that the vaccines are working. About half of Florida’s 4.4 million seniors are fully vaccinated while about ¾ have had at least the first shot.

Cases among the state’s younger population, though, has gone up. Compared with other states, Florida ranks 12th in new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the latest White House report. Using this same metric, Orlando ranks fourth, after Miami-Fort

Lauderdale, The Villages, and Deltona-Daytona Beach, out of 22 metropolitan areas in the state.

With 644 non-Florida resident deaths, including 3 new reported Monday, the state’s combined total stands at 33,891. Each report includes deaths from several previous days, as it can take weeks and sometimes several months for reports to appear.

Across the state, 2,926 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of 2 p.m. Monday including 148 in Orange County, 67 in Osceola, 39 in Lake and 52 in Seminole. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day.

To date, 86,124 people have been hospitalized in Florida, according to the state’s report, which includes 65 newly reported hospitalizations since Sunday’s update.

Statewide, 5,679,601 people have received at least one vaccination shot including 3,141,836 who have completed their shot regimen, whether it’s the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna option or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The count is a snapshot through Sunday, based on the report released Monday.

Of those who have received at least the first dose, 3,294,489 are over the age of 65.

To date, 11,835,603 people have been tested in Florida, 15,425 more than Sunday’s total.

Statewide, the latest positivity rate reported Monday for Sunday’s test results by the Florida Department of Health was 7.58%, but that’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. For all tested, the positivity rate was 10.09%.

Central Florida added 659 cases on Monday for a total of 363,266: That includes 218 more in Orange for 123,018; 87 more in Polk for 60,852; 55 in Osceola for 39,411; 132 in Volusia for 37,895; 61 in Brevard for 37,012; 65 in Seminole for 29,816; 37 in Lake for 26,507; and 4 in Sumter for 8,755.

There were 18 new deaths across all eight Central Florida counties bringing the region’s toll to 5,733. Polk County has the most coronavirus fatalities in the region with 1,237, followed by 1,182 in Orange, 806 in Brevard, 716 in Volusia, 600 in Lake, 482 in Osceola, 466 in Seminole and 244 in Sumter.

Central Florida accounts for more than 17.7% of the cases statewide and more than 17.2% of the deaths.