Florida reports 136 more people died from COVID-19

A relentless stretch of rising COVID-19 cases and deaths in Florida — including 136 more fatalities reported Tuesday — is showing signs of ending, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared.

Countering the state’s image as a coronavirus epicenter, the governor said there are plenty of hospital beds, fewer sick people going to emergency rooms these days, and less of a prevalence of infections away from South Florida.

“We’re turning this thing back in a good direction. … I think we’re going to continue to see some improvements,” DeSantis told reporters in Tallahassee. “It’s much better today than it was two weeks ago, and I think it will continue to improve.”

The state Department of Health on Tuesday posted another 9,440 cases of COVID-19. It was the first time in a week that Florida did not have at least 10,000 daily cases.

But Tuesdays tend to bring among the lowest case totals of the week, and it’s not unusual for the number of confirmed infections to

fluctuate as more laboratory results are tabulated on some days than others.

In July, Florida cemented its status as having one of the worst outbreaks anywhere in the nation. The state has reported an average of 11,172 cases per day over the last seven days — contributing to what DeSantis called “a lot of anxiety and fear out there.”

The new cases reported Tuesday bring the total to 369,834, putting Florida behind only California and New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s COVID Data Tracker.

Florida’s latest pandemic report shows the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 now stands at 5,319. The record daily death total was set last Thursday, with 156.

The latest coronavirus death count — including two more nonresident fatalities — is the sixth time since July 9 that the figure has surpassed 100.

And then there is the data that DeSantis says gives him hope: 21.7% of hospital beds

in Florida, or 13,195 beds, were empty Tuesday. And 15.4% of intensive care unit beds were available statewide.

Even in hard-hit MiamiDade County, 17.6% of hospital beds were available, or about 1,500 beds, according to the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration. That county also has 11.5% of its ICU beds open.

“There is capacity, obviously, to deal with COVID,” DeSantis said, adding that hospitalizations have reached a plateau and residents with other health concerns should not delay getting treatment.

Pointing to another indicator, he noted that on July 7, 2,500 people showed up at hospitals with symptoms of the virus; but in the last two days only 1,000 people went to the ER with coughs, fevers and breathing problems.

This improvement is a result of more residents heeding warnings about practicing social distancing and good hygiene, the governor said.

“We’re going to be able to get through it,” DeSantis said. “We’re not there yet.”