ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida health officials reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, which is the highest number of daily cases reported since July.
According to statistics released from the Florida Department of Health, 885,201 people in the state have contracted the virus.
A large number of test results — more than 146,000 — were reported on Sunday, which could explain the dramatic rise in positive cases. On Saturday, Florida logged 4,452 new coronavirus cases. The state also tallied another 30 deaths on Sunday. Since the start of the pandemic, 17,734 people in Florida have died from the virus.
The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in Florida hospitals has also risen in recent weeks. The state’s online census of hospitals showed numbers hovering between 2,000 and 2,200 for most of last month, but on Sunday, there were 3,118 coronavirus patients in hospitals. In South Florida, Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties saw a 44% increase in COVID-19 patients over the last two weeks.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has projected that more than 23,000 Floridians will die from the virus by March 1 given that a new wave of the virus is expected this winter.
