Florida's COVID-19 death toll officially surpassed 50,000 Thursday, according to figures released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The state's virus-realted death toll was 50,811, an increase of more than 2,000 in the past week.
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WATCH HEREFlorida's COVID-19 deaths have increased by more than 10,000 since late July, when the state began to feel the full impact of a coronavirus surge that lasted through much of August.
"I think it's been a really tough year and a half," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference in Fort Lauderdale Thursday when asked to comment on the death toll.
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Meanwhile, the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations continued on a downward trend, with 9,917 reported Thursday by the Florida Hospital Association.
Daily hospitalizations had peaked at just under 17,000 in August but have been steadily declining. In the past week, hospitalizations have decreased by about 19%.
Daily COVID-19 cases also are continuing to decline, with 9,313 new cases reported Wednesday.
