State reports 125,996 new weekend cases, adds 182 new deaths to total

Florida on Monday reported 125,996 new COVID-19 cases from the weekend and increased its total death count by 182, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Hospital patients with COVID-19 also increased over the weekend, nearing 10,000 for the first time since mid-September.

As of Sunday, Miami-Dade County had the highest per-capita rate of daily COVID-19 cases of any county in the U.S. — excluding two counties with low populations — with 4,065 cases per 100,000 population. Broward County’s rate per 100,000 was 2,573 on Sunday and Palm Beach County’s was 1,947. Overall, Florida ranks sixth-highest among other states for average daily per-capita cases.

The state’s average for daily cases reached 64,456 on Sunday, its highest level of the pandemic, CDC data shows.

On Sunday, 9,925 patients in Florida hospitals had COVID19, up 52.6% from the previous Sunday, 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 was 1,164 on Sunday, a 57% increase from a week earlier.

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 182 on Monday, bringing the state’s 7-day average up to 38, according to a Sun Sentinel analysis of CDC data.

As of Sunday, at least 4,759,073 Floridians have been infected by COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and at least 62,810 have died in total. The number of vaccine doses being administered in Florida have been rising after a drop-off during the holidays, reaching an average of 82,138 per day over the past seven days. About 63.8% of Floridians are fully vaccinated and 33.8% have received booster shots.