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Florida Breaks Record With More Than 21,000 New COVID Cases

Long line of vehicles, the first three are under a white tent. A nurse wearing protective equipment leans into the passenger window of the first vehicle to administer a COVID-19 test.
Marta Lavandier
/
AP
Cars line up at Miami Dade College North campus' COVID-19 testing site, Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Miami. Hospital admissions of coronavirus patients continue to soar in Florida with at least two areas in the state surpassing previous peaks reached during last summer's surge.

The CDC figures released on Saturday topped the previous high of 19,334 on January 7, before vaccines were widely available.

Federal health officials say Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19 Friday, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures released on Saturday topped the previous high of 19,334 on January 7, before vaccines were widely available.

The CDC also recorded 108 deaths Friday.

The state has become the new national epicenter for the virus, accounting for around a fifth of all new cases in the U.S.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has resisted mandatory mask mandates and vaccine requirements, and along with the Florida Legislature, has limited local officials’ ability to impose measures meant to stop the spread of COVID-19.

It also shows how quickly the number of cases is rising in the Sunshine State. It was the fourth straight day the number of new cases topped 16,000 and the tenth straight day over 12,000.

The average over the last seven days is 15,817 cases.

bar graph showing number of cases rising, as red line of 7-day moving average also increases
U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
Data from the CDC shows the number of new COVID-19 cases in Florida increased dramatically in the month of July, with a new single-day record of 21,683 reported July 30. The red line indicates the uptrend for the 7-day moving average of cases.

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