There have now been 213,794 positive results of coronavirus in Florida, according to the state Department of Health, which is nearly 1 in 100 people in the state.
Based on the 2019 estimated population of Florida from the U.S. Census of nearly 21.5 million, the 7,347 new positive cases of COVID-19 brought the state’s total close to that mark. Thousands would have already recovered from the infection, although the state DOH does not report that data. At the same time, the state has now given close to 2.3 million tests, which means it has given tests to the equivalent of more than 1 in 10 people in the state.
Case reports include residents and non-Florida residents, but the state still said 210,954 Florida residents have had a positive COVID-19 test.
With 63 new reported deaths, the death toll for Florida residents rose to 3,841, which is close to 1 out of every 5,600 people, much lower than some of the harder hit states that endured deadlier outbreaks initially as coronavirus spread across the U.S. earlier this year. The state also has reported another 102 non-Florida resident deaths due to COVID-19 to date. To be clear, the 63 reported deaths in Tuesday’s update does not mean they all died on Monday. Deaths could have occurred as far back as two weeks before they are reported by the state.
To that end, reported deaths have been climbing in recent weeks.
The death toll had dropped for nearly two months with between 214-264 reported deaths a week until the 312 reported from Sunday-Sunday ending July 5. That marked the first time over 300 since the week ending May 10, which saw the largest number of reported weekly deaths in the state at 342.
The state’s actual deadliest day was May 4 with 59 fatalities, according to the Florida Department of Health, which maintains a graphic on its dashboard of deaths by date of death. Fatalities there dipped down since mid-May but have recently picked up again. June 23 lists 51 deaths and June 22 has 50. Deaths are added as they are reported to the state, so sometimes it can take up to two weeks for data to be reflected on the graph.
5 of the deaths reported Tuesday were in Central Florida: A 58-year-old woman and 81-year-old man in Lake County; a 54-year-old man in Polk; an 89-year-old woman in Volusia; and an 88-year-old woman in Brevard County. These bring the regional death toll to 346.
Polk County still has the most coronavirus fatalities in Central Florida with 115, followed by 61 in Orange, 59 in Volusia, 29 in Osceola, 25 in Lake, 20 in Seminole, 20 in Brevard, and 17 in Sumter.
Central Florida now has 35,277 cases, up 1,179 from a day earlier. There are 361 new cases in Orange for a total of 14,768; 193 in Polk for 5,665; 92 in Seminole for 3,522; 147 in Volusia for 2,951; 122 in Osceola for 3,190; 114 in Brevard for 2,705; 108 in Lake for 1,998, and 42 in Sumter for 478. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
List of mobile coronavirus and antibody testing sites in Central Florida by county
South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, accounts for about 43% of cases with 91,291 total. That includes 3,201 new cases reported Tuesday among Miami-Dade (51,058), Broward (22,595), and Palm Beach (17,638) counties.
South Florida’s reported deaths on Tuesday rose by 30 for a total of 2,038, about 53% of the state’s total.
Statewide, the latest positivity rate made available by the Florida Department of Health, for Monday, was more than 16%.
To date, 16,425 people have been hospitalized, Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard shows, 380 more than a day earlier.
2,271,267 million people have been tested in Florida, with 35,330 more tests reported Tuesday compared with the previous day. More than 1.2 million of those tests have been given since May 31.
A detailed breakdown of Florida’s coronavirus cases can be found here
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The rise in positive cases is mostly in younger Floridians, with the statewide median age of those with the infection consistently becoming younger as testing opened up to everyone in the state. Younger people are less likely to have serious complications from the virus, and may not even show symptoms, but an increase in cases means community spread is more likely, which causes a threat to those more susceptible to the deadly virus, including older Floridians and those with underlying health conditions.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has encourages continued social distancing, and to wear masks if social distancing indoors cannot be achieved. Certain counties in the state including those in South Florida and Orange and Seminole counties in Central Florida require masks to be worn at all public venues indoors.
The virus has infected over 11.6 million people and has killed over 539,000 worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. In the U.S., over 2.9 million people have been infected and over 130,000 killed.
The U.S. has the most fatalities by far, followed by Brazil with over 65,000, the United Kingdom with over 44,000, Italy with over 34,000, Mexico with over 31,000, France with nearly 30,000, Spain with more than 28,000 and India with more than 20,000.
Within the U.S., New York has the most deaths with over 32,000, followed by New Jersey with over 15,000.
In April, the U.S. peaked at nearly 2,300 deaths in one day. Since then, although the death count keeps rising, the number of total weekly reported deaths due to COVID-19 has been declining, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
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Local coronavirus victims: Their lives remembered
Pong Hui Chartier, known as “Connie” to customers at the dry cleaning business she operated in Ocoee, liked to do things her way. “She’s never been someone that rested. She was always go, go, go. If anyone was going to live to be 100, it would be my mother,” her daughter said. At 79, Pong Hui took only one medication — for her thyroid. But in early March, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Weeks later, she died as a victim of coronavirus.
Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 killed both Pete and Eleanor Baker, retired snowbirds who were married nearly 62 years and spent winters in an RV in Central Florida.
Herman Boehm of Mount Dora, who enjoyed a life filled with adventures with his wife, died March 29 after contracting coronavirus. He was 86. Well into his 80s, Boehm enjoyed near-annual trips to Europe with his wife. Earlier in life, they spent a year cruising in the Bahamas on a sailboat. They went scuba diving and skiing. They danced the Argentine Tango.
See more Central Florida coronavirus obituaries here.
Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
