Deaths from COVID-19 reached yet another new weekly high in Florida, as cases of coronavirus dropped for the third week in a row, according to data released by the Florida Department of Health on Friday.
The surge of cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant once again led to the most deaths in a week for the state yet at 2,468 lives lost. Last week, 2,448 people were reported dead from COVID-19 across the state.
While those deaths were recorded over their respective seven day periods, they could have happened earlier.
The state health department last month switched from tallying deaths by the date they were verified to the date they occurred. As a result, it takes the state a while to process the information, so a single date's totals can grow days or even weeks later.
Meanwhile, the 75,906 new cases of coronavirus reported for the week ending Thursday marked the lowest number since mid-July, when Florida was in the early phases of the surge driven by the highly contagious delta variant. The total was more than 24,000 fewer than last week.
The positivity rate for new cases statewide dipped to 11.2%, its lowest since July 15.
The surge fueled by the delta variant appears to have reached its peak August 20, when weekly cases totaled 151,880.
The majority of new cases were among children under 12 for the fourth week in a row.
There were 12,202 cases in children under 12, about 5,000 fewer than last week. The next highest number was 12,148 cases in the age group of 30-39.
Vaccinations have not yet been approved for children 11 and younger.
As weekly numbers of cases were down across the state, Friday’s single day count released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also showed a drop off: 11,275, compared to 17,854 last Friday.
Hospitalizations also fell to below 10,000 for the first time since the end of July.
A total of 9,585 people were in hospitals across Florida due to COVID-19 complications — down more than 660 since Thursday.
Each week, the Florida Department of Health provides updates on the number of coronavirus cases, changes in positivity rate, vaccinations, and other statewide and county-by-county data.
The following is a summary from Sept. 10-Sept. 16, 2021.
Cases: 3,485,163 positive cases, an increase of 75,906 from the previous week.
Vaccinations: 13,427,208 Florida residents have been vaccinated, a weekly increase of 122,315. In all, 70% of Florida’s population over the age of 12 has received at least one dose of vaccine.
Positivity Rate: The positivity rate for new cases was 11.2%, down from 13.5% the previous week.
Deaths: A total of 51,240 Florida residents have died from a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, an increase of 2,468 from the previous week.
(NOTE: Cases and deaths in the report may have happened days or weeks earlier, according to state officials. The state is also now only counting deaths involving Florida residents.)
County Breakdown:
(Sept. 10-Sept. 17, 2021)
County | Cases (Increase) | Positivity (prv.) | # Vaccinations | % Vaccinated (prv.) | |
Hillsborough | 228,982 (5,442) | 12.5% (16.5%) | 835,683 | 65% (64%) | |
Pinellas | 127,888 (3,506) | 11.8% (14.7%) | 586,818 | 66% (65%) | |
Polk | 122,076 (3,233) | 15.2% (18.2%) | 387,015 | 63% (62%) | |
Sarasota | 52,668 (1,433) | 11.0% (14.2%) | 302,063 | 75% (75%) | |
Manatee | 61,644 (1,528) | 12.8% (15.9%) | 237,538 | 66% (66%) | |
Pasco | 74,913 (2,671) | 17.0% (20.0%) | 309,176 | 65% (64%) | |
Hernando | 27,041 (806) | 18.1% (22.3%) | 100,995 | 59% (58%) |
ABOUT THE DATA: As of June 4, 2021, the Florida Department of Health no longer offers daily updates on coronavirus data, and instead issues a county-by-county and statewide weekly breakdown on about COVID-19 cases, deaths, and other information. Cases and deaths in the report may have happened days or weeks earlier, according to state officials. The state is also now only counting deaths involving Florida residents.
