State reports 3,782 new cases, drops to 44th among states in cases per capita

Florida reported 3,782 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as the state dropped to 44th among states in cases per capita and 7th in deaths per capita, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The state also increased its COVID-related death count by three on Wednesday — but 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. The Sun Sentinel calculates the daily change in the state’s total death count for its analysis.

The average for new cases dropped to 4,030, the lowest it has been since July 10. There have been at least 3,594,182 COVID cases and 55,625 deaths in Florida since the start of the pandemic.

Hospitalizations also continued to drop. As of Wednesday, 4,307 patients were in Florida hospitals with COVID-19, the lowest it has been since July 18.

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. 27-Oct. 3.

Over the previous week:

Palm Beach County saw a 19% drop in cases and a 43% drop in deaths.

„ Broward County saw a 19% drop in cases and a 15% drop in deaths.

„ Miami-Dade County saw a 33% drop in cases and a 35% drop.

„ Orange County saw a 27% drop in cases and a 54% drop in deaths.

Florida continues to drop in rankings of cases per capita, falling to 44th as of Wednesday, according to New York Times data. The data shows 20 COVID cases per 100,000 population in Florida. Alaska ranked first with 125 average cases per 100,000 as of Oct. 6.

After ranking first for several weeks among states in deaths per capita, Florida has dropped to 7th as of Wednesday, the Times data shows, with 1.03 deaths per 100,000 residents. West Virginia ranked first as of Oct. 6 with 1.56 deaths per 100,000.

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.