COVID-19 in Florida: 7,121 new infections; 62 more deaths

Florida added 7,121 coronavirus cases Friday to bring the cumulative total to 2,111,807. With 62 more fatalities, 33,968 Florida residents are now dead.

COVID infections across the state are rising, but deaths are declining.

As of Friday’s report, the latest seven-day case count is 40,792, compared to the seven days before that which was 37,836.

For deaths, it’s 382 in the past seven days, compared with 470 for the seven days before that.

Each report includes deaths from several previous days, as it can take two weeks or more for fatalities to be logged.

To date, 88,191 people have been hospitalized in Florida, according to the state’s report, which includes 212 newly reported hospitalizations since

Thursday’s update.

Across the state, 3,027 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of about 2 p.m. Friday, including 152 in Orange County, 65 in Osceola, 52 in Lake and 69 in Seminole. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day.

Statewide, 6,942,405 people have received at least one vaccination shot including 4,190,513 who have completed their shot regimen, whether it’s the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna option or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The count is a snapshot through Thursday, based on the report released Friday.

Of those who have received at least the first dose, 3,467,162 are over the age of 65.

To date, 12,131,164 people have been tested in Florida, 31,603 more than Thursday’s total.

Statewide, the latest positivity rate reported Friday for Thursday’s test results by the Florida Department of Health was 6.51%, but that’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive. For all cases including retests of those previously infected, the latest positivity rate is 7.86%.

Central Florida added 1,542 cases on Friday for a total of 376,787: That includes 538 more in Orange for 127,691; 201 more in Polk for 62,807; 178 in Osceola for 40,844; 171 in Volusia for 39,709; 144 in Brevard for 38,267; 151 in Seminole for 31,066; 126 in Lake for 27,447; and 33 in Sumter for 8,956.

There were 13 new deaths across all eight Central Florida counties bringing the region’s toll to 5,886. Polk County has the most coronavirus fatalities in the region with 1,271, which is 21 deaths less than what was reported Thursday, followed by 1,210 in Orange, 825 in Brevard, 738 in Volusia, 619 in Lake, 488 in Osceola, 472 in Seminole and 263 in Sumter.

The virus has infected more than 134 million people and has killed more than 2.9 million worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. Nationwide, more than 31 million people have been infected and more than 560,000 have died.