WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach, Okeechobee and Broward counties have dropped to a "medium" category in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's coronavirus transmission from "high" — the first time since late May, according to Thursday's report.
Indian River County has stayed "low" for the second week, with Miami-Dade, St. Lucie and Martin counties remaining "high." Other "low" counties are in northern Florida.
The CDC recommends masks indoors in the highest of three categories.
For medium and low, you are encouraged to "wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19." At the medium level, "if you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precaution."
In March, the CDC started designating "community levels." Since the pandemic, the CDC had "community transmission," which is based on cases and tests, and is broken into "low," "moderate," "substantial" and "high."
The first criteriain the newer method is cases per 100,000 people in the past week with 200 or more considered high. Counties in that category are St. Lucie, Martin, Miami-Dade.
Another criteria is hospital admissions per 100,000, which is high if 20 or more. All South Florida counties are below that number.
And the percent of staffed inpatient beds with covid for a weekly average is considered high if 15% or more. All in South Florida are below 6.9%.
The CDC determines an overall high level by counting the higher of the two hospitalization rates.
St. Lucie has the highest positivity rate (24.43%), followed by Martin (21.88%), Broward (18.92%, Miami-Dade (17.06), Palm Beach (17.62%), Okeechobee (16.47%), Indian River (14.81%).
Cases, positivity rates and hosptializations have been trending down statewide for several weeks.
Florida's seven-day moving cases average is 6,612 cases with Aug 18 at 6,266, the least since 5,629 May 13. It was 1,127 March 22, the lowest since 1,106 June 8, 2020. The record: 65,245 Jan. 11.
The state has reported 6,991,770 residents' case with only California and Texas surpassing 7 million.
Hospitalizations reported Thursday were 3,527 (6.29% capacity) with coronavirus and a week ago 3,828 (6.67%. On April 11 it was 892 (1.58%), least since record-keeping began July 2020, according to Department of Health and Human Services. It ten hit 4,758 on July 29. The record high was 17,295 Aug. 29.
In the state bi-weekly state report published 13 days ago, the first-time positivity rate was 18.4% and five weeks ago it was 21.3%, most since 23.5% through Jan. 28, The record high was 31.3% through Feb. 6.
According to the CDC, increased deaths over one week were 512, which is the most in the nation, compared with 490 a week ago. The record was record 2,468 in the Sept. 17 state report. It reached as low as 122 for the week ending Dec. 24.
The total residents' deaths are 79,450, which is third behind California and New York.
WPTV updates its coronavirus statistics page daily.