Lost to COVID: 50,000 deaths by the numbers

Florida reported its first COVID-19 deaths on March 24, 2020. It passed 50,000 deaths 540 days later, according to the latest toll from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Sept. 15, the CDC logged 50,811 deaths in the state. The State Department of Health’s tally is likely to pass 50,000 when it comes out this Friday.

That’s an average of more than 94 people a day.

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It took five months to surpass 10,000 deaths; just shy of four more months to pass 20,000 deaths; just over two months to pass 30,000 deaths, then five and half months to hit 40,000 deaths, and one month to reach 50,000 deaths.

STATE: With a population of 21.5 million, about 1 out of every 423 people in the state has died of COVID-19. That’s about .24% of the population. Of the 3.4 million cases reported in the state since March 2020, about 1 in 67 people who are infected have died. That is a 1.5% death rate.

NATION: In comparison, the U.S. population of more than 328 million, about 1 out of every 491 people have died from COVID-19, or .2% of the population, according to data maintained the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Of the nation’s more than 41 million cases, that is about 1 in 62 deaths among those infected, a 1.6% death rate.

Compared to other states, Florida’s large population meant it was middle of the pack for the first 14 months of the pandemic, with deaths per capita ranking it in the mid-20s. But with the spread of the delta variant over the summer, Florida’s position has worsened. Using the White House COVID update with data through Sept. 14, Florida is ranked 12th for deaths per 100,000 population with 229. It sits behind Mississippi’s 306, New Jersey’s 305, Louisiana’s 285, New York’s 281, Massachusetts’ 267, Arizona’s 265, Rhode Island’s 265, Alabama’s 261, Arkansas’ 243, Connecticut’s 237 and South Dakota’s 236.

WORLD: Of the world’s 7.8 billion population, about 1 out of every 1,672 people have died, or .06% of the global population, according to Johns Hopkins. Worldwide cases have topped 226 million, and about 1 in 49 infected have died, a death rate of 2.1%.

COUNTIES: Within the state, the DOH stopped reporting deaths-by-county when it switched to weekly COVID-19 updates that began June 4, after more than 14 months of daily updates. The last daily report, with information through June 1 with statewide deaths at 36,924 showed counties with large populations had the most deaths in the state. The Top 10 were Miami-Dade with 6,457 deaths, Broward with 3,079, Palm Beach with 2,881, Hillsborough with 1,830, Pinellas with 1,671, Duval with 1,483, Polk with 1,386, Orange with 1,310, Lee with 1,009 and Marion with 992.

The White House reports, though, just this week released county-by-county deaths, and as of Sept. 14, the Top 10 counties are similar, except for Brevard County surging into the 10th spot. Miami-Dade now has 7,730 deaths, Broward 4,090, Palm Beach 3,514, Hillsborough 2,409, Duval 2,312, Pinellas 2,203, Polk 1,941, Orange 1,763, Marion 1,461 and Brevard has 1,446.

AGE: The state has continued to maintain demographic data on the deaths. Its last report on Sept. 9 had 48,772 deaths recorded, 37,891of whom are among those 65 and older, or 77.7%.

Back on June 1, deaths among those 65 and older made up 82.14%.

In the last 31/2 months, more people 65 and older have died than younger, but the percentages have shifted. 6,591 deaths 64 and younger has gone up by 4,290 to nearly 11,000 total. That’s a 65% increase in last 31/2 months. In the same span, those 65 and older rose from 30,333 to 37,891, an increase of 7,558 or about a 25%.

To date, the state has only reported 17 deaths under the age of 16; 307 deaths from age 16-29; 694 deaths from age 30-39; 1,857 deaths from age 40-49; 4,276 deaths from age 50-59; and 3,730 deaths from age 60-64.

RACE/ETHNICITY: The majority of deaths have been among white people with 35,412 followed by 8,083 Black, 3,942 listed as other and 1,335 as unknown. In terms of ethnicity, 34,973 were identified at non-Hispanic with 10,806 as Hispanic and 2,993 as unknown.

SEX: More men than women have died with 27,345 male and 21,422 female deaths and 5 unknown.