Florida sees dip in new COVID cases but another 900+ deaths reported

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida reported 52,094 new COVID-19 cases over the past three days, which averages out to 17,365 per day — a drop from the record 27,802 new cases reported Thursday.

However, an additional 913 deaths connected to COVID-19 have been confirmed according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those deaths span back over weeks, but they were added as part of the latest batch of data from the state. The CDC lists Florida with 44,553 total deaths connected to COVID, after that total sat at 43,640 in Friday’s reporting.

According to the latest CDC data, Florida’s new cases reported over the past week are as follows:

• Aug. 29: 13,022
• Aug. 28: 17,690
• Aug. 27: 21,382
• Aug. 26: 27,802
• Aug. 25: 21,450
• Aug. 24: 26,359
• Aug. 23: 21,312

The 27,000+ cases reported Thursday and posted by the CDC on Friday represent the one-day high for the state since the start of the pandemic.

Florida has reported over 150,000 new cases for each of the past three weeks, though the statewide new-case positivity rate dropped to 16.8% for the period of Aug. 20-26, according to the latest full data report from the state’s health department. That metric had been on the rise for the previous nine weeks.

Hospitalizations have also begun to decrease from their recent peak, according to the Florida Hospital Association, which said there were 15,488 people in the state admitted with COVID-19 on Monday.

The Florida Department of Health said Friday that 68% of eligible Floridians (ages 12 and older) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, which is two percentage points higher than the previous week.

There were 26,475 new COVID cases last week among children under 12 who are not yet eligible to be inoculated.

To find out where you can get a COVID-19 vaccine in South Florida, click here.