Florida has reached another record with 277 coronavirus deaths in a single day Tuesday, surpassing its previous high of 257 deaths on July 31.
The state’s weekly average is now 166 deaths per day. The Florida Department of Health reports 5,831 new positive COVID-19 cases and a total of 8,685 Florida deaths as of Tuesday. Florida’s total case count since the beginning of the pandemic in March is now 542,792.
Despite the new record, Florida has seen a downward trend in average new cases for the past two weeks–with numbers from the past four days reaching their lowest point since June–until Tuesday.
While the state’s percentage of positive tests remains well above the World Health Organization’s recommended 5% or lower weekly positivity rate, it has reduced slightly to 17.27% from more than 19% at the end of July, according to Johns Hopkins University. Florida is now trailing behind Washington, Puerto Rico, Mississippi and Texas.
However, Florida testing continues to be irregular, as the Florida Department of Health reported more than 100,000 tests processed some days and fewer than 60,000 processed other days over the last two weeks. Hurricane Isaias caused a three-day decrease in testing numbers as state-run facilities and testing areas were made to close.
Locally, Hillsborough County leads the Bay area with new COVID-19 cases, with 267 new cases Monday, followed by Polk County with 171 and Pinellas County with 70 new cases Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
While a majority of Florida’s deaths remain in those aged 65 and older, July’s surge in deaths saw an increased number of young adult victims. More Florida residents in the 25-44 age range died in July than in the previous four months combined, according to Florida Department of Health data.
Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to rally for in-person teaching as the school year begins this month. After outcry and opposition from Florida teachers, state superintendents are calling on Florida officials to address a need for rapid testing and a statewide plan for COVID-19 outbreaks in schools.
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This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2020.