COVID-19 infections decline in Florida; risk of infection is high
As of Saturday morning, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that all of the counties in Florida were at high risk of COVID-19 infection except for Glades, Taylor, and Holmes counties, which were at medium risk.
Data shows the cases and hospitalizations are decreasing, but the pandemic isn’t over. Vaccinations, boosters, and treatments have tamed the threat but there is still a need for high-quality face masks and testing, according to CDC epidemiologists.
With 97 more COVID-19 deaths recorded during the Aug. 5-11 period, Florida’s official death toll since the pandemic began in March 2020 increased to 78,559, according to The Florida Department of Health’s report released on Friday.
Florida’s new case positivity rate, the portion of positive test results, decreased from 20.7% to 18.4%. There was also an average of 7,765 confirmed cases daily. This represents a 17% decrease from the last period and a near 25% decrease from the last two periods.
The positivity rate was highest among Floridians who are aged 20 to 49. They represent 21,028 out of the state’s 54,353 new cases during the Aug. 5-11 period. The case fatality rate remains highest among people who are aged 65 or older.
Broward County had 4,805 new cases and a 15.2% new case positivity rate during the Aug. 5-11 period. Miami-Dade County had 9,733 new cases and a 14.9% new case positivity rate. Monroe had 137 new cases and a 17.5% new case positivity rate.
Biobot Analytics laboratory data shows the genetic viral fragments in wastewater in Miami-Dade have decreased from July 17 to Aug. 10. The data also showed that 99.8% of the genetic fragments were BA.5, a subvariant of the Omicron variant.
There were fewer hospitalizations in Florida than last week. Hospitals registered 3,855 COVID-19 patients on Friday, nearly 350 less than last week, according to U.S. Health and Human Services Department data.
The most recent count places the total number of COVID-19 infections in Florida during the pandemic at 6,909,415.
For more information about where to get tested for COVID-19, visit this page or this page. For more information about COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, visit this page or call a-800-232-0233.
