State reports 2,576 new cases; deaths increase by one

Florida reported 2,576 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday as the 7-day average dropped to its lowest point since July 5, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The state also increased its death count by one. Florida counts deaths by the day they occur, not the day they are reported and it can take two weeks or more for a death to be reflected in the data. The 7-day average for deaths was 186 on Saturday, unchanged for the third day in a row, according to Sun Sentinel calculations based on the change in the state’s overall death count.

There have been 3,623,046 confirmed cases of COVID in the state and at least 57,712 Floridians have died since the start of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, 3,153 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida, a 24.9% decrease from the previous week, according to the latest update from the Florida Hospital Association.

The weekly testing positivity rate has fallen consistency since mid-August. On Friday, Florida reported a positivity rate of 3.8%, the lowest since the third week of June.

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 28% drop in cases and a 14% drop in deaths;

Broward County saw a 28% drop in cases and a 23% drop in deaths;

Miami-Dade County saw a 26% drop in cases and a 36% drop in deaths;

Orange County saw a 31% drop in cases and a 49% increase in deaths.

Florida continues to drop in rankings of cases per capita, falling to second-to-last as of Oct. 13, according to New York Times data. The data shows 14 COVID cases per 100,000 population in Florida. Alaska ranked first with 110 average cases per 100,000.

Florida still ranks near the top in deaths per capita. As of Oct. 3, the state was third with 1.12 deaths per 100,000 population — behind West Virginia with 1.76 and Idaho with 1.39, the Times data shows.

Florida’s positivity rate has been declining since mid-August, a further indication the state may have passed the peak of the delta surge. The state releases positivity data weekly.