69,914 new cases; hospitalizations keep climbing

Florida reported 69,914 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as hospitalizations climbed near 9,500, the highest level since Sept. 16, according to federal data.

The increase in cases comes as a record 157,787 tests are being reported on average per day as of Dec.

31, the most recent data available for testing rates. The state’s average for daily cases has increased for 42 consecutive days, reaching 58,673 as of Saturday, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows.

On Friday, 9,432 patients in Florida hospitals had

COVID-19, up from 9,082 on Thursday, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The number includes patients admitted with the virus and those who tested positive while hospitalized.

The number of intensive care beds in Florida occupied by COVID-infected patients has increased

214% since Christmas, reaching 1,117 as of Friday.

Yet COVID-related death reports have remained low in Florida during the omicron surge, and the state has the fourth-lowest in the U.S. with a 7-day average of 0.12 deaths a day per

100,000 population. Florida increased its death count by three on Saturday.

Florida has the sixth-highest per-capita case rate in the U.S. over the past seven days. Miami-Dade County has the highest per-capita case rate in the state with 4,065 per 100,000. Broward County’s rate is second with 2,573 and Palm Beach County’s is seventh with

1,947.

As of Friday, at least

4,633,077 Floridians have been infected by COVID19 since the start of the pandemic. An average of 21 Floridians per day have died of COVID over the past week and at least

62,628 have died in total. Meanwhile, an average of 59,600 vaccinations are being administered per day in Florida as of Friday. About 63.7% of Floridians are fully vaccinated and 33.2% have received booster shots.