WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida's coronavirus situation is dramatically proportionally better than record highs 1 1/2 months ago with cases about one quarter, hospitalizations and weekly positivity rate one third. Deaths' increase, which lags in reporting, is down more than 700 from the mark two weeks ago.
Infections increased by 37,299, which is a 26.5% decline in one week, and a fraction of a record 152,760 five weeks ago as deaths rose by 1,719 (246 daily), which is 26.5% fewer in one week and less than the record 2,468 two weeks ago, according to the state Health Department's weekly report released Friday.
Also, the 5,414 hospitalizations are significantly less than 7,478 one week ago and the record 17,295 on Aug. 19, with 78.7%,
adults with at least one vaccination shot, a rise of half a percentage point, and the weekly first-time infection positivity rate of 6.5% is 2.1 percentage points down in a week and a record 20.5 six weeks ago. But several South Florida Counties are reporting higher rates: Okeechobee at 16.7%, which is the highest in the state, with Indian River at 7.9%, St. Lucie at 9.5%, Martin at 8.1% but Palm Beach County at 6.5%, Broward 5.5% at and Miami-Dade at 3.7%, which is the lowest in the state. The target rate is 5% or less.
The 30-39 age group has the most new cases at 6,127.
The under 12 age group has the second most new cases at 5,764, down from 8,802 with a 18.5% first-time positivity rate. On the 12-19 age group the positivity rate is the highest among the classes at 8.5% with 4,117 new cases a week after 6,839 and only 54% fully vaccinated. Conversely, the positivity rate is 5.1% for those 65 and older with 88% fully vaccinated.
In data released by the Florida Department of Health, the cumulative death toll is 55,299, the fourth state to pass the 50,000 milestone and just 288 behind New York. Cases are 3,576,571 with the state among only three topping the 3 million milestone.
And based upon a CDC cumulative death total of 55,011 from the previous day, the most recent daily increase is 233.
Deaths can take several days or even weeks to be reported to the state so the figures will fluctuate.
The state set a record for most deaths in one day: 399 on Aug. 27. Until the recent spike, the record was 242 on Aug. 4, 2020.
The record increase was 276 on Aug. 11 when the state was giving daily reports.
The highest seven-day moving average is 369 daily (2,583 weekly) on Sept. 1. Until the spike, the record was 227 (1,589 weekly) only Aug. 5.
Last year the highest weekly seven-day increase was 1,266 (181 daily) on Aug. 16, 2020. The first-time daily positivity rate last year was 9.04%. Earlier this year it was less than 5%.
Until Friday's report, deaths had surpassed 2,000 four week in a row: 2,340 last week, 2,468 two weeks ago, 2,448 three weeks ago, 2,345 four weeks ago. Last week, the cases' increase was 54,109.
The state listed 233 deaths occurred in the past week with 355 the week before, 384 previously and 433 before. In newly reported deaths, children under 16 years old rose by 2 to 24 since the pandemic, with 16 more among those 16-29 for a total of 377.
The new cases in the state over one week were 37,772, the lowest since 23,365 on July 2, which is different than 37,299 increase because of revisions.
The daily cases record is 27,777 reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug. 26.
On Sept. 1 the new cases were 21,564, the last time it was above 21,000.
For 13 days in a row cases have been been below 10,000 including 5,829 most recently one day after 4,938. On Tuesday is dropped to 3,692.
The CDC lists the seven-day moving average of 5,386, the lowest since 5,114 on July 12, with the record 2`1,753 Aug. 16.
Cases weekly reached 109,823 (`15,689 daily) on Jan. 10 until the spike.
The CDC is now only reflecting the date of occurrence for cases and deaths rather than when reported to the Florida Department of Health. It can take several days or even weeks for the state to receive a report of a death. The CDC twice a week has been revising the previous cumulative totals as more data are reported.
The state has never listed increases on its since disbanded website and reports as media outlets, including WPTV, did the math each day.
On June 4, Florida switched to weekly reports from daily -- the first state in the nation reporting any data every seven days. In addition, the state's dashboard was removed, as well as current hospitalization data. Michigan and Ohio, which are in the top 10 for most deaths, reports deaths only a few days per week.
According to data received by the CDC Thursday, U.S. deaths rose 1,704 and cases were up 109,796 with Florida accounting for 5.3%.
The first-time daily positivity rate was 7.8 11 weeks ago. The daily record was 23.38% on Dec. 28.
The state, which is the third most-populous with 16.5% of the population, is fourth in the nation, behind California with 68,796, with 126 in the past day reported, Texas with 64,304 including a daily increase of 328 and New York with 55,378, with a rise of 20
Florida is third in cases behind California with 4,496,717, a rise of 7,869, and Texas with 4,057,845 including 10,913 Friday.
The overall first-time positivity rate is 21.3%, the same as last week.
The state reports don't include nonresidents' deaths and cases.
The weekly reports don't list deaths for each county though it is now available by the CDC but include other data:
Palm Beach County: Cases: 220,108 residents (2,416 new). First-time positivity average in past week: 6.5%.
St. Lucie County: Cases: 46783 resident (549 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 9.5%
Martin County: Cases: 19,661 residents (223 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 8.1%
Indian River County: Cases: 21,802 residents (236 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 7.9%
Okeechobee County: 7,321 residents (120 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 16.7%
Broward County: Cases: 349,793 residents (3,462 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 5.5%
Miami-Dade County: 661,638 residents (5,027 new). First-daily positivity in past week: 3.7%.
In other data, the state reported there are 24 deaths under 16 (increase of two) and 479,000 cases (471,193 previous week). At the other extreme, for 65 and older there are 41,929 deaths (40,0866 previous week), which is 75.8% of total) and 455,212 cases (455,212 previous week), which is 12.9% of total.
The state's mortality rate (cases vs. deaths) was 1.5% (up 0.1 in a week) including 9.1% for 65 and older but less than 1% in younger ages except 2.3% for 60-64. It is 1.6% in the United States and 2.0% worldwide.
In deaths per million, Florida is 2,561 (ninth in nation), U.S. 2,171, world 609.3. Mississippi is first at 3,241, New Jersey second at 3,090. New York, which had been second for most of the pandemic behind New Jersey, is now fifth at 2,875.
Florida's deaths are 7.9% of the total in the U.S. total and 8.2% of the cases. The state comprises 6.6% of the U.S. population.
Since the first two cases were announced on March 1, 2020, Florida's total has surged to 16.6% of the state's 21.48 million population, second in cases per million behind Tennessee. In cases per 100,000 for seven days, Florida is 31st at 175.6 (last week 27th) with Alaska No. 1 at 1,156.6, West Virginia No. 2 at 640.4, Montana No. 3 564.5, Wyoming No. 4 at 561.7, according to the CDC.
The CDC has directed states to generally count one case per person unless the virus was contracted again more than 90 days.
Florida is third in total tests at 39,665,937 behind California with 79,172,924 and New York with 56,357,762. Some people have taken more than one test.
In one week, there were 612,574 tests in Florida, which is 87,511 daily. On Dec. 23 there were a record 150,587 tests.
Hospitalizations are 7,478 compared with 12,651 four weeks ago. It was 4,262 on July 10 with the record until recently 10,179 on July 23, 2020, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health. Of the 260 hospitals reporting, 9.31% are occupied with COVID-19 patients and 79.67% (47,098) with all patients of the 59,117 total beds. The day before 258 hospitals reported data. Florida is second behind Texas with 9,696 hospitalized with coronaviurus.
The U.S. coronavirus occupancy is 75,555 at 9.78% compared with 85,399 one week ago.
In state vaccination data from the CDC, 78.7% of Florida's population 18 and older has had at least one dose (13,577,060,) and 67.7% fully vaccinated (11,674,236). President Joe Biden had set a nationwide goal of 70% vaccinated by July 4 with at least one dose by adults and the current figure is 77.4. Totally vaccinated is 67.0%.
Thirty-three states (one more in week in week) achieving the 70% standard are Hawaii (90.7%), Massachusetts (89.4%), Vermont (88.8%), Connecticut (88.7%), Rhode Island (87.1%), New Mexico (86.6%), New Jersey (86.1%), Pennsylvania (86.0%), Maine (85.8%), California (85.6%), New York (84.3%), Maryland (83.8%), Illinois (81.4%), New Hampshire (81.0%), Virginia (80.9%), Washington (80.3%), Florida (78.7%), Delaware (78.6%), Oregon (78.3%), Colorado (77.9%), Minnesota (76.7%), Utah (75.4%), Kentucky (73.7.%), Kansas (73.6%), Nevada (73.4%), South Dakota (73.4%), Nebraska (73.3%), Texas (73.2%), Wisconsin (73.0%), North Carolina (71.9%), Arizona (71.3%), Iowa (70.9%), Alaska (70.4%).
The three worst percentages: West Virginia 57.3%, Wyoming 59.6%, Mississippi at 61.6%.
Also reaching the benchmark are Puerto Rico (89.2%), Guam (88.8%), District of Columbia (812.5%).
For those 12 and older in Florida, 76.9% had at least one dose (14,384,021) and the complete series is 65.9% (12,317,478).
For the total population, the percentage is 67.0% (14,392,083) and the complete series is 57.4% (12,319,184).