What to Know
- Florida reported 257 virus-related deaths Friday, the fourth day in a row the state has set a single-day record
- Florida also reported about 9,000 new COVID-19 cases Friday, with the total now exceeding 470,000
- Of the new deaths reported Friday, 129 were in Miami-Dade and Broward
Florida set a new daily record for reported coronavirus-related deaths for the fourth day in a row Friday, adding 257 more to a death toll that's approaching 7,000.
The 257 new reported deaths come a day after the state confirmed 253 COVID-related deaths on Thursday. The grim week has seen 216 COVID-related deaths reported on Wednesday and 186 deaths on Tuesday.
CORONAVIRUS LATEST
Reporting is delayed while the state confirms the deaths are COVID-related, so many deaths occurred days or weeks earlier. For example, 24 of the 257 newly confirmed resident deaths occurred Thursday, while more than half occurred last week or earlier.
The total number of virus-related deaths among Florida residents reached 6,843. July was by far the deadliest month, with nearly half of all the state’s deaths confirmed during the month.
The increases in hospitalizations — considered an indicator of a mid-point in the virus’ impact on a community — continued a slight decline from its record increases earlier in the week. The total number of residents who have been hospitalized with the virus increased by 516, the fourth-straight decline from Tuesday’s record of 585.
The number of people currently in Florida hospitals with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 also declined, to 8,249 Friday, the lowest number reported in more than two weeks.
The state also added another 9,007 new COVID-19 cases, for a total of 470,386 dating back to March, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health Friday. It was the sixth straight day that fewer than 10,000 cases were confirmed, and the seven-day average increase in new cases dropped below 10,000 for the first time since July 12.
That decline came as the percentage of all tests coming back positive also dropped, to 13.99%, the lowest rate in nine days. When retests of those who already tested positive are excluded, the new case positivity rate dropped to 10.57%, the lowest since June 24.
The median age of people who tested positive in Friday's results was 42, about the average age of cases for the past two weeks.
Statewide, more than 3,633,000 people have been tested for COVID-19. Figures released Friday showed the results of more than 97,000 tests.
In South Florida, Miami-Dade County's case total rose Friday by more than 2,500, to 118,462, and the county's virus-related deaths rose by 96, to 1,611. It's the lowest number of new cases since July 20.
Miami-Dade's daily positive rate was down to 14.9% Friday, below the two-week average of 18.5%, according to the county's new normal dashboard.
In Broward County, there were 55,411 COVID-19 cases reported, a daily increase of about 1,100, along with 709 virus-related deaths, 33 more than Thursday.
Palm Beach County had 33,274 cases and 815 virus-related deaths Friday, while Monroe County had 1,300 cases and eight deaths.
