WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida's coronavirus deaths increased by 153 in one week, the lowest since early in the pandemic last year, as cases rose 10,663, which is nearly 1,000 more than last week. Also, hospitalizations are slightly higher than a record low Monday with the first-time positivity rate at 2.5%, which is 0.1% more than the all-time low last week.
The state reported 9.0% of youths 5-11 have been vaccinated, up from 8.0% the week before and 2.6% three weeks ago.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday the Florida Department of Health releases its usual Friday report this Tuesday.
On Friday, the department reported deaths reached 61,701, with the figure the lowest since it rose from 63 in one week to 208 in the weekend ending April 2,020, less than one month after the first fatality. It rose 172 to 37,985 in the weekend ending July 8.
Last week the increase was 467 after 384 and 363, which was the fewest since 282 on July 23. Residents' cases have reached 3,697,523 with the increase 871 more than 9,792 the week before, which was the lowest since the state went to weekly reports on June 4. The 1,554 daily compares with 1,242 six days earlier, which the lowest since 1,191 June June 9, 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Tuesday's report.
The 1,343 hospitalizations compare with the record-low 1,228 Monday and 1,272 one week ago, a fraction of record 17,295 on Aug. 19. Last year the lowest was 2,031 on Oct. 17.
The state listed vaccination data for those 5-11 is 158,017 compared with 137,520 one week earlier, after 97,499 one 44,694. Five out of six adults (83.5%) have at least one vaccination shot, a rise of 0.3 percentage since Tuesday, and those 12 and older at 81.9%.
Four weeks ago, Florida became the third state to pass 60,000 residents' deaths from coronavirus, Florida is behind California and Texas, each with more than 70,000, but ahead of New York in third place. Florida is among three states with at least 3 million cases, also ahead of California and Texas.
The state passed 50,000 deaths on Aug. 31.
The weekly first-time infection positivity rate is one-tenth of a record 20.5% during the summer. The lowest daily rate this year was 3.03% on May 25 — when the state was reporting this data. In the week of May 17-30, 2020, before testing ramped up, it was below 3.0% for eight days, including 0.62% one day for an average of 2.82%. It has been under the 5.0% state target rate seven weeks in a row.
Increased cases this past week are 7.0% of a record 152,760 12 weeks ago.
All South Florida counties are below the target 5%: Palm Beach County 2.3%, Martin 2.6%, St. Lucie 2.5%, Indian River 2.7%, Okeechobee 1.7%, Broward 2.1% and Miami-Dade 1.8%, which has the most deaths in the state at 9,066 in a report late last month.
The 30-39 age group has the most new cases at 1,862 one week after 1,579. The 5-11 group has 740 new cases with a 3.4% first-time positivity rate, the highest of the groups. In the 12-19 age group there are 811 new cases and only 57% fully vaccinated (the youngest age recently to get the shots). Cases for those under 5 are 397. Conversely, the positivity rate is 1.8% for those 65 and older with 89% fully vaccinated.
Deaths can take several days or even weeks to be reported to the state so the figures will fluctuate.
The state set a record for most deaths in one day: 420 on Aug. 27. Until the recent spike, the record was 242 on Aug. 4, 2020.
The record increase was 276 on Aug. 11 when the state was giving daily reports.
The highest seven-day moving average is 399 daily (2,793 weekly) on Sept. 1. Until the spike, the record was 227 (1,589 weekly) only Aug. 5, 2020.
Last year the highest weekly seven-day increase was 1,589 (227 daily) on Aug. 5, 2020, according to the CDC. The first-time daily positivity rate last year was 9.04%. Earlier this year it was less than 5%.
Until Friday's report 10 weeks ago, deaths had surpassed 2,000 four weeks in a row: 2,340 after 2,468, 2,448, 2,345. Last week's increase was 363 and the previous week 644.
The state listed 35 deaths occurred in the past week with 37 the previous week and 433 11 weeks ago. In newly reported deaths, children under 16 years old rose by 1 to 31 since the pandemic, with 1 more among those 16-29 for a total of 431.
The new cases in the state over one week were 10,892, one week after 9,663, the lowest since the state week to weekly reports, which is different than 10,663 increase because of revisions. It was 12,880 five weeks ago, 11,797 June 11 and 11,901 June 4.
The daily cases record is 27,738 reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Aug. 26.
On Sept. 1 the new cases were 21,545, the last time it was above 21,000.
Cases have been been below 10,000 since Sept. 22. That includes 1,983 most recently, one day after 2,266 and 2,098 previous, the last time since Nov. 10 above 2,000.
On Nov. 7, it was listed as 271, the lowest since 176 March 23, 2020.
The CDC lists the seven-day moving average record 2`1,670 on Aug. 16.
Cases weekly reached 109,816 (`15,688 daily) on Jan. 10 until the spike.
The CDC is now only reflecting the date of occurrence for cases and deaths rather than when reported to the Florida Department of Health. It can take several days or even weeks for the state to receive a report of a death. The CDC twice a week had been revising the previous cumulative totals as more data are reported. It was back adjusted Friday.
The state has never listed increases on its since disbanded website and reports as media outlets, including WPTV, did the math each day.
Here is cases and first-time positivity rates for South Florida counties.
Palm Beach County: Cases: 228,360 residents (721 new, 638 past week). First-time positivity average in past week: 2.3%.
St. Lucie County: Cases: 48,202 residents (115 new, 104 past week). First-daily positivity in past week: 2.5%
Martin County: Cases: 20,422 residents (63 new, 49 past week). First-daily positivity in past week: 2.6%
Indian River County: Cases: 22,328 residents (54 new, 43 past week). First-daily positivity in past week: 2.7%
Okeechobee County: 7,419 residents (7 new, 7 last week). First-daily positivity in past week: 1.7%.
Broward County: Cases: 361,553 residents (1,072 new, 887 past week). First-daily positivity in past week: 2.1%.
Miami-Dade County: 681,185 residents (2,030 new, 1,967 week). First-daily positivity in past week: 1.8%.
On June 4, Florida switched to weekly reports from daily -- the first state in the nation reporting any data every seven days. In addition, the state's dashboard was removed, as well as current hospitalization data. Michigan and Ohio, which are in the top 10 for most deaths, reports fatalities only a few days per week.
According to data received by the CDC Thursday, U.S. deaths rose 1,235 and cases were up 138,489 with Florida accounting for 1.4%.
The first-time daily positivity rate reached 7.8% this summer. The daily record was 23.38% on Dec. 28.
The state, which is the third most-populous with 16.5% of the population, is third in the nation, behind California with 74,046, with 127 in the past day reported, Texas with 72,882, including a daily increase of 74 and ahead of New York with 57,695, with a rise of 41 Friday.
Florida is third in cases behind California with 4,822,889, a rise of 7,612 and Texas with 4,323,817 including 3,011 Friday.
The overall first-time positivity rate is 20.5%, with no change in a row.
The state reports don't include nonresidents' deaths and cases.
The weekly reports don't list deaths for each county though it is now available by the CDC but include other data:
In other data, the state reported there are 31deaths under 16 (no change) and 501,133 cases (499,672 previous week). At the other extreme, for 65 and older there are 46,026 deaths (45,927 previous week), which is 74.6% of total and 478,923 cases (477,280 previous week), which is 13.0% of total.
The state's mortality rate (cases vs. deaths) was 1.7% (no change) including 9.6% for 65 and older but less than 1% in younger ages except 2.5% for 60-64. It is 1.6% in the United States and 2.0% worldwide.
In deaths per million, Florida is 2,870 (ninth in nation), U.S. 2,441, world 674.4. Mississippi is first at 3,460, Alabama second at 3,298, New Jersey third at 3,201. New York, which had been second for most of the pandemic behind New Jersey, is now sixth at 2,994.
Florida's deaths are 7.9% of the total in the U.S. total and 7.6% of the cases. The state comprises 6.6% of the U.S. population.
Since the first two cases were announced on March 1, 2020, Florida's total has surged to 17.2% of the state's 21.48 million population, 14th in cases per million behind No. 1 North Dakota. In cases per 100,000 for seven days, Florida is 49th at 50.7 ahead of Hawaii 46.1 with New Hampshire 539.5, Minnesota No. 2 at 534.6, Micvhigan No. 3 at 517.7, Vermont No. 4 at 483.5, according to the CDC.
The CDC has directed states to generally count one case per person unless the virus was contracted again more than 90 days. Florida doesn't report re-infections.
Florida is third in total tests at 43,915,391 with California No. 1 at 96,726,599,. Some people have taken more than one test.
In one week, there were 351,736 tests, which is 50,248 daily. Last week it was 413,863. On Dec. 23 there were a record 150,587 tests in one day.
Hospitalizations were 12,651 13 weeks ago, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health. Of the 262 hospitals reporting, 2.29% are occupied with COVID-19 patients and 78.52% (46,430) with all patients of the 59,129 total beds. The day before 259 hospitals reported data.
Florida is 14th in U.S. with covid hospitalizations with Michigan first with 4,451 (19.6%) despire a much smaller population. Pennsylvania is second with 4,442 (14.81%), Ohio third with 4,366 (13.97%), New York fourth with 3,541 (7.34), California fifth with 3,540 (5.54%), Texas fifth with 3,451(5.13%),.
The U.S. coronavirus occupancy is 59,170 at 7.71% compared with 56,691 one week ago.
In state vaccination data from the CDC, 83.8% of Florida's population 18 and older has had at least one dose (14,446,506) and 72.4% fully vaccinated (12,493,826). President Joe Biden had set a nationwide goal of 70% vaccinated by July 4 with at least one dose by adults and the current figure is 83.1. Totally vaccinated is 71.4%.
Forty-two states achieving the 70% standard (adding West Virginia, which had been 64.0%) are New Hampshire (99.9%), Massachusetts (97.0%), Connecticut (96.1%), Pennsylvania (96.0%), Hawaii (95.6%), Vermont (94.6%), Rhode Island (94.4%), Maine (92.7%), New Jersey (92.8%), California (92.5%), New York (91.4%), New Mexico (90.2%), Maryland (89.2%), Virginia (87.4%), Delaware (85.7%), Washington (85.1%), North Carolina (83.9%), Florida (83.8%), Colorado (83.1%), Oregon (82.4%), South Dakota (82.0%), West Virginia 81.6%, Minnesota (80.9%), Illinois (80.3%), Utah (80.6%), Kansas (80.0%), Nevada (79.6%), Texas (77.6%), Nebraska (77.3%), Wisconsin (77.2%), Oklahoma (77.0%), Arizona (76.1), Alaska (75.6%), Iowa (74.9%), Arkansas (72.6%), Kentucky (72.2%), Michigan (72.1%), South Carolina (72.0%), Georgia (71.5%), Missouri (71.4%), North Dakota (70.8%), Montana (70.8%).
The three worst percentages: Wyoming 65.4%, Mississippi at 65.8%, Indiana at 67.4%.
Also reaching the benchmark are Guam (99.9%), Republic of Pau (99.9%), American Samoa (94.0%), Puerto Rico (93.9), District of Columbia (93.4%), Northern Mariana Islands (91.5%).
The CDC is now listing percentages for those 5 and older: one shot 15,478,126 (76.1%) and fully vaccinated 13,239,040 (65.1%).
For those 12 and older in Florida, 81.9% had at least one dose (15,313,371) and the complete series is 70.7% (13,208,481).
For the total population, the percentage is 72.1% (15,485,793) and the complete series is 61.6% (13,240,664).
The state considers fully vaccinated two doses for Pfizer and Moderna and one for Johnson & Johnson.
In boosters, 22.7% of adults in Florida (2,831,382) and 22.2 in the United States (44,035,293) have been vaccinated