State reports 5,829 new cases on Friday

7-day average lowest since July

Florida reported 5,829 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state’s 7-day average for new cases declined for the 12th consecutive day to 5,338.

The state also increased its death count by two. Deaths are counted on the day they occur, not the day they are reported and can take up to two weeks or more to be reflected in the data. Based on date reported, the 7-day average for deaths was 271 as of Thursday.

At least 55,011 Floridians have now died of COVID-related causes through Thursday. There have been 3,576,581 resident cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began.

On Tuesday, the number of people hospitalized for COVID in Florida was 6,138, a 24.5% decline over the past week, according to data from the Florida Hospital Association.

Here are the latest statistics:

The CDC on Tuesday updated its county-by county COVID numbers, which it has released weekly. South Florida counties have among the lowest cases per capita in the state, this week’s data shows. The statistics are for the week of Sept. 21-27.

Florida continues to drop in rankings of cases per capita, falling to 42nd as of Wednesday, according to New York Times data. The data shows 25 COVID cases per 100,000 population in Florida. Alaska has 176 average cases per 100,000 as of Sept. 24.

After ranking first for several weeks among states in deaths per capita, Florida has dropped to third as of Wednesday, the Times data shows, with 1.45 deaths per 100,000 residents. Alabama has 2.02 and Alaska has 1.6.

On Sept. 16, Florida reported a decline in its positivity rate, though it remains one of the highest in the nation. The positivity rate in Florida declined from 13.5% to 11.2%, a further indication the state may have passed the peak of the delta surge. The state releases positivity data weekly.