Today, The Florida Department of Health reported a record 253 new coronavirus fatalities, marking the third day in a row the state has surpassed its own daily record for COVID-19 deaths.
Officials also reported 9,956 new infections, bringing Florida’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 461,379. Florida has now logged a total of 6,586 COVID-19 deaths, which means the state is now averaging 154 deaths per day.
According to John Hopkins University, the weekly average positivity rate is now 19% in Florida.
Florida also added 518 new hospitalizations. Since March, 26,017 people have been hospitalized in Florida, according to the Department of Health. Currently, roughly 1,500 people are hospitalized in Tampa Bay, which has about 18% of hospital beds available and just 10% of ICU beds available.
Locally, Hillsborough County still leads Tampa Bay with 28,742 cases ands 331 deaths, followed by Polk with 12,281 cases and 262 deaths, Pinellas with 6,114 cases and 418 deaths, Hernando with 1,617 and 26 deaths, and Pasco with 6,201 and 94 deaths.
Florida is now a major epicenter for coronavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Florida and Texas now make up nine out of ten coronavirus hot spots in the U.S.
Locally, Hillsborough County still leads Tampa Bay with 28,742 cases ands 331 deaths, followed by Polk with 12,281 cases and 262 deaths, Pinellas with 6,114 cases and 418 deaths, Hernando with 1,617 and 26 deaths, and Pasco with 6,201 and 94 deaths.
Over the past week, which has been the most deadly since the start of the pandemic with 872 reported deaths, DeSantis has emphatically downplayed the crisis, arguing that the recent records are actually good.
“I think when you see those reports, those are probably reflective of infections and hospitalizations that have happened in the past,” the Governor said. “So it’s more of a lagging indicator, where as I think the ED (emergency department) visits and some of the hospital visits are more of a leading indicator in terms of where things are trending.”
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This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2020.
