Florida reports 2,883 new cases, 66 deaths

Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday reported 2,883 new cases of COVID-19 and 66 additional deaths.

The state also reported a 5.42% positivity rate the highest since Gov. Ron De Santis’ Sept. 26 executive order easing Phase 3 restrictions.

The latest positivity rate, which is calculated based on Tuesday’s test results, is higher than the most recent seven-day average of4.94%. It is also significantly less than other tallies outside the state.

Johns Hopkins University, which doesn’t exclude repeated results for the same individual, reported Florida’s positivity rate tobe 10.4% based on Tuesday’s test results.

The Department of Health reported a total of 741,632 positive cases as of Tuesday. In total, there have been 15,595 Florida resident deaths fromthe virus and 193 non-resident deaths.

Overall, health officials reported that 5.62 million people in Florida have been tested for the virus since the pandemic began. About 4.87 million have tested negative.

The cumulative positivity rate in that time is 13.19%, state data shows.

The Department of Health said Wednesday’s numbers reflect the results of 57,269 tests administered on Tuesday.

South Florida

Broward County: 273 additional confirmed coronavirus cases and three new deaths. The county has a known total of 79,876 cases and 1,511 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. In total, 6,353 residents were tested on Tuesday, leading to a positivity rate of 4.12%.

Palm Beach County: 161 additional cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths. The county now has 48,337 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths. In total, 3,434 people were tested, leading to a positivity rate of 4.48%.

Miami-Dade County: 442 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 new deaths. The county now has 176,271 confirmed cases and 3,506 deaths. In total, 8,263 people were tested, leading to a positivity rate of 5.08%.

Hospitalizations and deaths

As of noon p.m. Wednesday, 2,150 people across the state were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, slightly higher than the 2,133 hospitalized at the same time on Tuesday.

Broward County reported 172 patients hospitalized; Palm Beach County had 116 and Miami-Dade had the most in the state

with 272 people hospitalized.

The online report from the state Agency for Health Care Administration updates several times throughout the day. Hospitalizations hit a peak in late July of about 9,500 patients.

Since the pandemic began, a total of 46,482 residents have been hospitalized for the disease in Florida, according to a separate report by the state health department.

Deaths: Wednesday’s report shows a total of 15,595 Florida resident deaths. In addition, 193 non-resident deaths have been attributed to the virus in the state.

Florida’s COVID19 death rate since the pandemic began is tied for ninth among states with 72 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the CDC. That’s higher than the national rate of 65 deaths per 100,000.

Over the last seven days, however, the state has averaged 0.5 deaths per 100,000 people, to the CDC.

Long-term care facilities: At least 6,326 deaths have occurredamongresidents and staff at nursing homes and assisted-living centers throughout Florida. That’s 21 additional deaths from Tuesday’s report.

Miami-Dade County has had the highest number of deaths at long-term care facilities, with 828 and Palm Beach County was second with 661. Broward has had 431 deaths. according