WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida's newly reported deaths increased by 149 as cases rose by 3,571, which was more than a 1,000 than the day before, the Florida Department of Health announced Thursday.
On Wednesday, deaths rose by 127 and cases' increase was 2,402. Tuesday's cases rise was 7,569 but 3,699 without a one-day data dump by Quest Diagnostics. Since June, cases have been below 5,000 for 19 days in a row if the Quest data is excluded.
The first-time cases positivity rate rose to 6.23 of tests received by labs Wednesday after 5.59 percent the day before. Palm Beach County was 4.37, the 10th day in a row they were 5.0 or below, including a low of 3.16 on Sunday. The county's high was 5.41 on Aug. 23.
The daily positivity rates increased to 8.55 percent on 65,205 tests after 7.63 on 50,690 tests. The rate had been under 8 percent for 4 times in two weeks plus one at 8.01. The low was 7.04 percent.
Palm Beach County's death total rose by 16 to 1,150, second highest in the state behind Miami-Dade and ahead of Broward, after 6 deaths were reported Wednesday.
On the Treasure Coast, St. Lucie increased by 6 to 243, Martin rose by 1 to 119 and Indian River remained at 103. Okeechobee stayed at 19 after increasing by a daily-record 4 with its first two deaths on July 25.
Broward climbed by 9 and Miami-Dade by 46.
In South Florida, there were 78 of the 149 deaths, 52.3 percent, for a total of 5,440 at 46.7 percent though the population only comprises 30 percent.
Pinellas rose by 4 to 669 deaths in fourth place and Hillsborough increased by 3 to 558 in fifth place. Polk climbed by 6 to 461 in sixth and Lee increased by 4 to 435.
Florida is in fifth place in the United States with 11,650 deaths, and nonresident deaths remained at 150 for a total of 11,800. On June 16, Florida was in 11th place in the nation.
Texas is in fourth place with the addition of a U.S.-high 221 deaths Thursday after a state-record 324 on Aug. 11, for a total of 13,091. California reported 164 new deaths, second highest in the nation, and is in third place overall with 13,327.
On Monday, the state reported 1,885 positive cases, the lowest since 1,758 on June 15.
Florida's cases have been under 3,000 for only six times since late June and under 5,000 for 16 days in a row until the Quest data dump.
Palm Beach County's daily cases increased by 125 after 131 the day before and 100 three days ago.
Florida's new hospitalizations rose by 270 compared with 299 the day before. The state reported Thursday there are currently 3,437 hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, which is 112 less than the day before.
Deaths
Deaths in the state have accelerated over nearly six months since the first fatalities were announced on March 6. It took 49 days for the death toll to reach the first 1,000 yet it was only 40 days to more than double . The average number of deaths per day in Florida is 64.
The last time deaths were more than 200 was 212 on Aug. 18. The state record was 276 on Aug. 11. Last Thursday's rise was 153.
State and county increases represent fatalities received by the state Wednesday and not the number of deaths that occurred then. The day someone dies and when it is received by the state can lag for several days. The most deaths the past month: 192 on Aug. 5.
In a state list of cases and deaths released Thursday, it reported 150 deaths from the previous report with 1 removed after further determining a cause of death for a net increase of 149.
Deaths rose by `782 in the state over seven days (a daily average of 112) for 7.2 percent, a figure tally that had been more than 1,200 deaths recently. Two months ago the one-week figure was in the mid 200s. Palm Beach County rose by 56 for 5.1 percent. The U.S. figure is 3.4 percent with the world at 4.5 percent.
Miami-Dade climbed to 2,600, which is 254 more in one week. Broward increased to 1,206 with a rise of 37 in one week. Indian River has risen by 7 deaths in one week compared with St. Lucie climbing by 10 deaths, Martin by 5 and Okeechobee by 4.
Palm Beach County's death count is higher than 23 states,
including Wisconsin's 1,146 after adding 4 Thursday and Iowa's 1,135 with 9 more.
The state on Thursday identified 16 deaths in Palm Beach County with all but one older than 58: 11 women (70, 87, 89, 92, 93, 94, 95, 95, 95, 95, 96) and 5 men (58, 73, 77, 91, 95). St. Lucie's new deaths were 4 men (70, 81, 83, 93) and 2 women (93, 95). Martin reported a 99-year-old woman.
Cases
Since the first two cases were announced on March 1, Florida's total has surged to 3.0 percent of the state's 21.48 million population with 637,013, second in the nation. The average over six months is 3,425 per day.
In one week, cases have risen by 25,102, which average 3,586 per day, at 4.1 percent, a percentage that has been steadily decreasing.
Cases passed 600,000 Aug. 23 and 500,000 on Aug. 5.
California has the most cases in the U.S. at 717,177 with the addition of a U.S.-high 5,125 Thursday. Texas had the second-most new cases, 3,899, and is third overall with 625,347. New York, which was the leader during much of the pandemic, is in fourth at 437,107 with 889 more.
Florida's daily case increases have been below 10,000 since July 26 when they climbed by 12,199. Early in the pandemic, case were under 1,000 with the last one of three digits 966 on June 8.
The cases record was 15,300 was July 5 – the highest daily figure ever in the United States.
In Palm Beach County, new cases have been much lower since the record 1,171 July 5. The total now is 42,643, including residents and nonresidents.
Miami-Dade's cases were 578 compared with 341 and Broward's increase was 263 vs. 126. In the Treasure Coast area, the rise over one day was 37 in St. Lucie, 8 in Indian River, 5 in Martin County and 17 in Okeechobee.
Testing
Florida's total number of people tested is 4,724,739, fourth in the nation, behind No. 1 New York, No. 2 California and No. 3 Texas. That Florida figure is 21.9 percent of Florida's population.
The overall positive rate was 13.48 percent, the same as the past two days.
The daily rate at one time was around 2-3 percent. The two-week high was 11.35 on Aug. 24 and the record is 20.71 percent on July 8.
The record test total was 142,964 July 11.
In Palm Beach County, the last time the first-time rate has been above 10.0 percent was 10.2 percent on Aug. 4.
Miami-Dade's rate was 7.35 one day after 5.32 percent, the lowest in two weeks. The highest was 26.4 on July 8. Broward's rate was 4.72, the seventh day in a row it was under 5 percent, including 4.47 the day before and excluding the data dump by Quest.
Elsewhere, St. Lucie's rate was 4.13, the fifth day in a row it was under 5, including 4.58 one day earlier and a low of 3.30 three days ago and a high of 13.98 on Aug. 24. Martin's rate dropped to 4.89 from 4.67 percent with a two-week low of 3.84 one week ago and a two-week high of 12.01 six days ago. Indian River's rate was 2.1 percent after 2.0 and four days under 2, including 1.28 three days ago and a high of 6.78 on Aug. 24. Okeechobee's rate was 8.33 on 176 negative tests after 5.04 percent on 66 negative tests after a two-week low of 0 on 26 negative tests Aug. 23 and a high of 11.96 on Aug. 22 on 81 negative tests.
Palm Beach County has 42,643 cases out of 331,257 total tested for 12.87 percent overall, not including those awaiting tests and inconclusive.
Miami-Dade leads with 159,978 positive cases out of 829,920 tested for 19.28 percent, and Broward is second with 72,634 cases and 515,769 tested for 14.0.8 percentage.
In Martin County, it's 4,514 of 31,467 for 14.35 percent. In St. Lucie, it's 7,193 out of 53,011 for 13.57 percent, Indian River with 2,871 of 31,479 for 9.12 percent and Okeechobee 1,267 of 10,007for 12.66 percent.
Mortality rate
The mortality rate compares positive cases against deaths.
The state's rate is 1.8 percent for all deaths and cases, including nonresidents, compared with 3.0 percent in the United States and 3.3 percent worldwide, which passed 872,000 deaths and passed 26.2 million cases Thursday.
Palm Beach County's rate was 2.7 percent, compared with Broward at 1.7 percent and Miami-Dade with 1.6 percent. With much fewer deaths, the mortality rate is 3.4 percent in St. Lucie, 2.7 percent in Martin, 3.6 percent in Indian River and 1.5 percent in Okeechobee.
Florida has 542 deaths per 1 million people compared with the U.S. average of 576 per million. New York, which represents 17.3 percent of the deaths in the nation, has 1,699 per million. Worldwide, the figure is 111.9 per million.
Age breakdown
The median age for all deaths in Florida is 79/
Four deaths are among youths 14 and under: a 6-year-old from Hillsborough, a 9-year-year old from Putnam and two 11-year-olds, a boy in Miami-Dade and a girl in Broward. This class did not change.
Four other juveniles are among the 28 deaths in the 15-24 class: a 16-year-old girl in Miami-Dade, a 16-year-old girl in Lee, a 17-year-old boy in Pasco and a 17-year-old boy in Manatee. The class didn't have any additions.
Eighty people from 25 to 34 also have died from the virus, with an addition of 1.
A total of 3,788 people 85 and older have died in the state from the virus, an increase of 91 in one day.
Ninety-four percent of the fatalities are 55 and older and 62 percent are 75 and older, 1 percentage point increase in each class. A smaller percentage of older people have tested positive – 28 percent age 55 and older and 7 percent 75 and older.
At the other end of the age spectrum, there are 10,765 cases of infants to 4 years old, an increase of 66, and 247 were hospitalized, which rose by 1. From ages 5-14, there are 26,145, an increase of 79 with 225 in the hospital at one time, with an addition of 3
From the infant to 54 age group, 453,304 of the 629,913 residents tested. In that group, 803 have died, with an increase of 2, for a 0.18 death percentage. From infant to 64, there are 535,724 cases. A total of 2,050 have died, an increase of 11, for a 0.38 percentage.
Cities
West Palm Beach is in first place among Palm Beach County cities with 10,639 with an increase of 25. Lake Worth, which includes the city and county portion, rose 30 to 7,415 followed by Boca Raton at 5,892 up from 5,869, Boynton Beach at 3,793 from 3,787 and Delray Beach at 2,923 vs. 2,912. A total of 947 in the county not designated by a city.
Port St. Lucie leads the Treasure Coast with 4,220, an increase of 18 followed by Fort Pierce at 2,579, up 31, and Stuart with 2,112, which was an increase of 2.
In Indian River County, Fellsmere, which has a population of 5,754, increased by 1 to 397 compared with only 3 on May 31.
Hospitalizations
A total of 39,428 people in the state have been hospitalized, a rise from 37,718 seven days ago. That means it is a running total and includes people who have been released or died.
The number is 3,405 in Palm Beach County, an increase of 29 compared with 22 the day before; 379 in Martin, which didn't change; 484 in St. Lucie with a rise of 12, Indian River went up by 1 to 260 and Okeechobee went from 136 to 137.
Long-term care
Forty-two percent of the deaths, 4,879 are residents and staff of long-term care, including 494 in Palm Beach County, which is second most in the state behind 725 in Miami-Dade. The state increase was 68 and in Palm Beach County it went up by 9.
National
Since the first death was reported six months ago on Feb. 29, the toll has risen to 191,058, an increase of 1,094 on Thursday, according to Worldometers.info.
Johns Hopkins reports 186,785, a gain of 1,065.
Cases reached 6,335,244 with an increase of 44,507, according to Worldometers.info. They have exceeded 70,000 seven times, including a record 78,446 on July 24 and the last time was July 31.
Last Thursday in the U.S., there were 1,142 more deaths and 46,030 more cases.
The one week U.S. death increase was 6,052 at 3.4 percent.
New York has the most deaths in the nation at 33,059, with 7 more reported, after a high of 799 in April.
Among other states in the top 10 for deaths: No. 2 New Jersey 9, No. 6 Massachusetts 17, No. 7 Illinois 24, No. 8 Pennsylvania `13, No. 9 Michigan 10, No. 10 Georgia 73.
Also, No. 11 Arizona reported 65 deaths, as well as an additional 1,092 cases, more than twice as many as the day before. No. 23 Washington, the original epicenter in the United States, reported 10 deaths.
Worldwide
The U.S. represented 18.6 percent of the 5,886 additional deaths Thursday and 21.9 percent of the world total though its population is only 4.3 percent of the global total. The one week world death increase was 37,578 at 4.5 percent.
Last Thursday's death increase was 6,052.
Cases increased by 287,408, behind a record 289,648 on July 24.
Brazil, which is second behind the United States for deaths, reported 830 deaths to rise to 124,729. Brazil's record is 1,554 on July 29. The nation added 44,728 cases to pass 4 million cases at 4,046,150 and only behind the U.S.
India reported 1,043 additional deaths to rise to 67,376 and in third place. The Asian nation also reported a record 83,883 cases for a total of 3,853,406, behind the U.S. and Brazil.
Mexico announced 513 more deaths late Thursday compared with a high of 1,092 on June 4 for a total of 66,329 in fourth place, just 517 from India.
Four European nations are in the top 10. The United Kingdom reported 13 additional deaths for 41,527 in fifth place with the record daily high 1,172. No. 6 Italy, which at one time was the world's epicenter and reached 919 in one day, reported 10 deaths. No. 7 France reported 20 deaths and 7,157 cases, which was only the fourth time they were more than 7,000, including a record 7,578 in March. No. 9 Spain added 40 deaths, plus 8,959 cases, which is the highest since a record 10,856 on March 20.
No. 8 Peru gained 146 deaths and No. 10 Iran had 129.
Russia is in fourth place in the world in cases with 1,009,995, including an additional 4,995. The nation gained 114 deaths and is in 12th.
Canada reported 6 deaths to rise to 9,141 and drop to 18th behind Argentina, which reported 243 deaths. Canada also had 570 cases.
Sweden, which has been doing "herd immunity," reported 5 deaths and has 5,832 total. Neighboring Norway announced zero deaths for the 14th day in a row to remain at 264 deaths, as well as 86 more cases.
No. 28 China, the original epicenter of the world, hasn’t reported a death since April 26, and added `25 cases Friday.
Japan reported 12 deaths for a total of 1,319 Thursday.
