Florida's COVID-19 death toll increased by more than 1,300 Thursday, bringing the total since last March to over 45,900.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put Florida's death toll at 45,909 Thursday, after reporting a total of 44,571 on Wednesday. The 1,338 deaths occurred in previous days or weeks but are added to the total as they're confirmed.
The figures show the seven-day average in daily deaths reached 244 last month, as compared with their highest previous rate of 227 in August 2020. The numbers for mid to late August of this year could still rise as the Florida Department of Health reports more data to the federal government.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state continued to decline, with 14,682 hospitalizations reported Thursday by the Florida Hospital Association. The association had reported 14,886 hospitalizations Wednesday.
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It's a large drop from two weeks ago, when the hospitalizations were at just under 17,000.
Another 21,392 new COVID-19 cases were also reported Thursday, with the seven-day average dropping to 19,904 after it peaked at 21,758 in mid-August.
