Teens, young adults account for most new infections

South Florida is reporting most new coronavirus cases are among younger people, an uptick blamed on college campus spread as local school districts are preparing for a return to inperson classes.

Thelatest data show29% ofnewCOVID-19 infections in Palm Beach Countywere among 15- to 24-year-olds, in a report Tuesday from the state Department of Health. That age range accounts for23% ofnewcases in Broward, and 17% inMiami-Dade — higher than any other age groupinthose counties.

“What’s happening is partying late at night, large congregations, house parties,” said Dr. Alina Alonso, Palm Beach County’s health department director. “They’re having fun … they like to gather and get together.”

On Monday, statistics showed that 33% of the county’s new cases were in the 15-24 age bracket. The next closest figure was 15% of cases among 45- to 54-year-olds.

In Boca Raton, Florida Atlantic University’s football team canceled practice Tuesday morning because of positive COVID-19 test results for “a number of student-athletes,” officials said. At 5:30 p.m., the school’s website showed 54 students on campus now have the virus.

Earlier in the day, Alonso told county commissioners she’s especially concerned young people will infect older people who are more vulnerable to serious illness.

“If we want to stop this fromspreading into the rest of the community, we have got to keep an eye on where these people are going and what they’re doing,” she said, not speaking specifically about FAU. “I can’t just say, ‘Let them catch it. Let your daughter get sick. It’s not a big deal.’ It is a big deal.”

Meanwhile, Florida’s coronavirus pandemic report for Tuesday shows another 146 people have died from COVID-19 illness. That’s an increase over the 36 deaths reportedMonday and eight fatalities listed Sunday.

These are COVID-19 victims who died weeks ago, but the confirmations were just received by state officials. The official reports show 12 virus-associated deaths actually happened Monday, and 10 people died from the disease on Tuesday.

Overall, the official casualty count now stands at 12,787 Floridians and 159 nonresidents who have died in the state. About 82% of the deaths were people 65 and older, documents show.

There

5,500 have been deaths nearly from

COVID-19 in South Florida, the most hard-hit area in the state. The loss of life in the region of MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — now in Phase 2 of the reopening plan — exceeds that of 40 states.

New cases are up across Florida, too, with 3,116 infections reported Tuesday. That’s up from1,736 cases a day earlier — the lowest number in over three months — and 2,423 cases on Sunday.

But the daily COVID-19 testing positivity rate, for new infections only, is still in a favorable place at 4.22%. The figure had dipped to 3.86% onMonday — the lowest percentage since June 8— a sign that that the prevalence of the virus has diminished since July when the rate topped 15%.

South Florida

Broward County: 164 newcoronavirus caseswere reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 74,689. At least 1,314 people in Broward were reported to have died, four more than Monday’s total.

Palm Beach County: 166 new cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 44,305. A total of 1,235 deaths were reported, 17 more thanMonday.

Miami-Dade County: 389 new cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 164,688. A total of 2,943 people in MiamiDadewere reported to have died from COVID-19. That’s 29 more than Monday’s total.

Testing

More than 4.97 million people have been tested for COVID-19 in Florida since the pandemic began, producing an overall positivity rate of 13.44%, state data show. At least 668,846 people have tested positive and 4.3 million people have tested negative.

The latest state report shows the daily positivity rate at 4.22%, down from 3.86% the previous day. This figure reflects only new infections based on COVID-19 testing for the day; it does not count people who previously tested positive for the disease.

Statewide positivity has been less than 5% for seven out of the last10days. Public health experts say the virus is under control in this range.

In South Florida, the cumulative positivity rates are 19.02% for Miami-Dade County, 13.87% for Broward County and12.79% for Palm Beach County. But the daily rates have declined for weeks.

The daily positivity rates reported Tuesday were 4.05% for Broward County, up from 2.52% the previous day; 4.22% for Palm Beach County, up from 2.92%; and 4.95% for Miami-Dade County, up from 4.1%.

Tuesday’s data report showstest results for68,958 Florida residents, up from 50,969 results reported the previous day, and 62,316 results two days ago.

Hospitalizations

Since the pandemic began, a total of 41,654 residents have been hospitalized for the disease in Florida, according to the Department ofHealth.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 2,574 people were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 across the state.

Broward County reported 259 patients; Palm Beach County had 159; and Miami-Dade had the most in the state with 391.

The online report from the state Agency for Health Care Administration updates several times throughout the day. Hospitalizations have been declining since hitting a peak in late July.

Health department reports also show fewer people have been showing upat hospital emergency rooms for COVID-like illness. For the week of Aug. 2, there were 10,322 visits to the ER. It droppedto4,058visits for the week of Sept. 6, the latest data available. That’s a 60.7% decline.

Deaths

Statewide: The official COVID-19 report, updated Tuesday, shows 12,787 Florida resident deaths. In addition, 159 nonresident deaths have been attributed to the virus in the state.

Long-term care facilities: At least 5,266 deaths have occurred among residents and staff of nursing homes and assisted-living centers throughout the state, 58 more than reportedMonday.

Miami-Dade County reported the highest number of deaths at these facilities, with 763; Palm Beach County reported 525, and Broward 378.

Global view

World: The novel coronavirus has infected almost 29.4 million people and killed at least 930,589 worldwide as of about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to JohnsHopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

U.S.: The United States has more than 6.58 million cases, the highest total in the world, with at least 195,275 deaths, the most of any country. The U.S. has 4.3% of the world’s population, but 22.4% of the world’s cases and 20.98% of theworld’s deaths.