FL has set four single-day records for the most deaths reported in any 24-hour period
TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida has set four single-day records over the past week for the most deaths reported in any 24-hour period, including a new record Thursday with 253 new deaths, as the only Florida County without death reported its first.
While the reported deaths in some cases have been spread over an extended period, new deaths are reported daily. Thursday’s record follows a string of record-setting days, including one last Thursday, one Tuesday and one Wednesday.
Health officials reported a total of 461,379 cases of the virus Thursday, up from 451,423 a day earlier. That represents an increase of 9,956 new cases over the previous one-day period.
The death toll in Florida from the coronavirus reached 6,586, up from 6,333 a day earlier. State health officials reported another 123 non-Florida residents who died in the state from the coronavirus.
Wednesday’s record of 216 deaths reported in a single day topped Tuesday’s record of 186 reported deaths, which topped last Thursday’s record of 173 reported deaths.
Health officials reported 26,017 hospitalizations in the state up from 25,499 hospitalizations over the previous 24 hours. That represents an increase of 518 more hospitalizations than reported a day earlier, which is among the highest one-day increases since the pandemic began.
Thirty-six of Florida’s 67 counties reported new deaths Thursday, while Okeechobee County reported one fewer death.
That compares with 216 new deaths reported Wednesday, 185 new deaths reported Tuesday (Florida health officials reported 186), 78 new deaths Monday (state health officials reported 77), 77 new deaths Sunday, 124 new deaths Saturday, 135 new deaths Friday and 173 new deaths last Thursday.
Gulf County reported its first death from the coronavirus on Thursday. It was the last Florida County that had not reported any deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Miami-Dade County reported 60 new deaths. Palm Beach County reported 11 new deaths. Neighboring Broward County reported 38 new deaths. Those three counties are considered the epicenter of Florida’s outbreak.
Pasco County reported 26 new deaths. Pinellas County reported 18 new deaths. Brevard County reported 13 new deaths. Polk County reported 11 new deaths. Orange County reported nine new deaths. Hillsborough County reported eight new deaths. Lee County reported seven new deaths.
Escambia County reported four new deaths, as did St. Lucie County. Citrus County reported three new deaths, as did Duval County, Gadsden County, Hernando County, Indian River County, Manatee County, Osceola County, and Sarasota County. Bay County reported two new deaths, as did Jackson County, Nassau County, Okaloosa County, and Volusia County.
Collier County reported one new death, as did Gilchrist County, Hendry County, Highlands County, Holmes County, Lake County, Levy County, Madison County, Marion County, and St. Johns County.
Florida reported a 12.87 percent positive test rate for the virus Thursday as the number of tests reached 3,584,193.
Miami-Dade, which includes Miami and Miami Beach, reported 115,916 cases of the virus. Nearby Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, reported 54,312 cases. Palm Beach County, which includes Palm Beach, West Palm, and Boca Raton, reported 32,696 cases.
Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, reported 28,742 cases. Orange County, which includes Orlando, reported 28,591 cases.
In an effort to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch is publishing the following county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in Florida’s 67 counties, along with the median age of patients, the number of hospital cases by county and the number of deaths.