What to Know
- Florida has more than 40,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide
- With 46 new reported deaths, the state's total number of deaths related to the virus rose to 1,715
- Miami-Dade and Broward have combined for 19,621 cases
More than 800 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Florida Saturday as the state's virus-related death toll reached 1,715.
Florida had 40,001 COVID-19 cases, to go with 46 new reported deaths, according to figures released by the state's department of health.
CORONAVIRUS LATEST
Miami-Dade County continued to be the state's epicenter for COVID-19, with 13,841 cases. Broward County had 5,780 cases, while Palm Beach had 3,798 cases.
During an afternoon press conference in West Palm Beach, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the numbers released Friday show less than two percent of those tested in the state came back positive - the lowest number in at least six weeks, according to DeSantis.
DeSantis also said he would approve a proposal from officials in Palm Beach County to allow them to move into phase one of reopening on Monday - something the county, along with Broward and Miami-Dade, was kept from doing when the rest of the state began reopening this past Monday.
DeSantis held a news conference in Miami Wednesday to show the state's new mobile testing lab, which will travel to nursing homes and assisted living facilities to conduct rapid testing. It will conduct up to 500 tests a day.
The new testing will also be used at sites in both West Palm Beach and Jacksonville this weekend, DeSantis announced.
DeSantis also said the state is giving approval for CVS, Walgreens and Walmart to conduct tests and that he's looking into the possibility of home testing. Testing at those businesses will start with a handful of locations and then expand.
