Florida Again Smashes Daily Record for New Coronavirus Cases With 11,458; Total Passes 190,000

Florida again broke its record for new coronavirus cases added in a single day Saturday, with nearly 11,500 new cases being added, as the state's total reached more than 190,000.

With 11,458 new COVID-19 cases, the state's total rose to 190,052, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health. The state has seen a large increase in cases in the past several weeks, with more than 57,500 confirmed in the last seven days, about 30% of the total count.

Florida's previous record had been set Thursday, when the state reported more than 10,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time, a milestone that was six times higher than where the daily record stood less than a month ago.

Florida also reported 18 deaths Saturday, bringing the death toll to 3,803.

On Friday, Florida had reported 67 deaths for the third time in a week. The state’s death rate peaked at 60 per day in early May, but had declined to 30 by June 1 before it began creeping up two weeks ago as case numbers began spiking.

Statewide, more than 2,083,050 people have been tested for COVID-19, and more than 15,700 hospitalizations for COVID-19 have been reported in Florida to-date.

In South Florida, Miami-Dade County's case total rose by 2,418 to 44,729, and the county's virus-related deaths were at 1,038 Saturday.

In Broward County, 1,348 new COVID-19 cases brought the county's total to 19,575, along with 409 virus-related deaths.

Palm Beach County had 16,149 cases and 541 deaths. Monroe County had 337 cases and 5 reported deaths.

Local officials have taken stringent measures to limit crowds and social gatherings this Fourth of July weekend. Beaches have closed in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties until Tuesday.

Additionally, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez issued a countywide 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew that went into effect on Friday, July 3rd until further notice.

He said in a press release the curfew is meant to stop people from "venturing out and hanging out with friends in groups, which has shown to be spreading the virus rapidly."

"I agree with my medical advisers that young people and their parents are not taking seriously the New Normal rules," Gimenez said.

The reopening of various entertainment venues in Miami-Dade were also rolled back by the mayor, including Jungle Island and Zoo Miami, which would have been celebrating its 40th anniversary this weekend.

Gimenez warned that Miami-Dade police would be inspecting businesses throughout the holiday weekend, and those found violating any public health regulations are subject to criminal fines up to $500 and up to 180 days in jail.

Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, chair of epidemiology at Florida International University, told NBC 6 that, in terms of the virus, Florida has nothing to celebrate on the eve of this year's Fourth of July holiday.

"It’s clear that we are really where were at right before we had to shelter in place and close all nonessential businesses," she said. "We're kind of at a really crucial point right now. I expect we’re going to continue to see more cases for the next couple of weeks."

Dr. Trepka warned that "We tend to see that a couple weeks after hospitalizations, we’re going to see an increase in deaths."