Osceola County positivity rate dips below 30% for 1st time in ’22
Florida reported 35,266 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the number of patients in the hospital with the virus fell for the fourth straight day, according to federal data.
The 7-day average for new cases rose slightly to 32,794 but remains near its lowest level since Dec. 28. The average is down just over 50% from its peak of 65,660 on Jan. 11, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows.
Hospitalizations
The number of patients in Florida hospitals with
COVID-19 has been dropping for the past several days. On Monday there were 11,075 patients with COVID, down from 11,119 on Sunday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There were 203 patients 18 or under in the hospital with COVID, down from 209 Sunday. A significant number of hospitalized patients were admitted to the hospital for other reasons and tested positive later.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations have also been slowing in recent days. The average daily vaccination rate fell to 45,028 over the past 7 days, CDC data shows. At the peak of the omicron wave, the state was average 118,177 vaccinations per day. About 64.8% of Floridians are fully vaccinated and 36.5% have received booster shots.
County levels
Central Florida’s per-capita rate of new cases has remained about the same while testing positivity levels have fallen over the past week, with Osceola falling below 30% for the first time in 2022.
Orange County: 1,345 cases per 100,000 population over the past week; 30.69% positivity rate.
Osceola County: 1,479 cases per 100,000 population over the past week; 29.67% positivity rate. Lake County: 1,187 cases per 100,000 population over the past week; 32.82% positivity rate.
Seminole County: 1,236 cases per 100,000 population over the past week; 37.23% positivity rate.
Deaths
The state increased its death toll by three on Tuesday, bringing the 7-day toll to 552. The state reports deaths by the date they occurred and can lag by several weeks. The 7-day average for daily deaths was 79 as of Tuesday.
At least 5,383,094 Floridians have been infected by COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and at least 64,005 have died in total.