WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County leads Florida in the number of 101 coronavirus deaths, rising from 14 to 22 in one day, the state Department of Health announced Wednesday night.
The state death toll rose from 85 to 87 on Wednesday morning then jumped 14 cases on Wednesday night, according to state tracking. Eight of the 16 deaths Wednesday involved Palm Beach County residents.
Statewide, the number of positive cases rose 1,032 for a total of 7,773 positive cases, including 7,495 residents. The increase is 15.3 percent in one day.
With 60,356 negative results, the positive rate is 10.9 percent.
A total of 990 Florida residents are hospitalized, up from 857 the day before.
In the morning update, the department said two more individuals from Palm Beach County died. In the evening update, the death toll in the county rose by six more.
The deaths announced Wednesday in Palm Beach County are men 72, 76, 85, 87 and women 64, 77, 84, 88. The 64-year-old victim is the youngest fatality in the county. The oldest previously announced was a 94-year-old man. In all there are 11 men and 11 women deaths in the county.
Although Palm Beach County is a distant third in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state with 616, the number of deaths surpass Broward (13) and Miami-Dade (11) counties. One more death was confirmed in Broward and none in Miami Dade on Wednesday.
There are 2,202 positive cases in Miami Dade and 1,348 ones in Broward.
A total of 616 Palm Beach County residents have tested positive thus far, but Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he expects those numbers to rise with the addition of a testing site in West Palm Beach.
DeSantis said the state is planning to open another testing location in southern Palm Beach County.
With 117 Boca Raton residents having tested positive, it is the only Palm Beach County city to have double-digit confirmed cases. West Palm Beach has the second-most with 93 followed by Boynton Beach with 90 and Delray Beach with 81.
Palm Beach County's total number of confirmed cases are wide-ranging, with the youngest person being an infant girl and the oldest being 99. A boy, 6, also has tested positive.
On the Treasure Coast, Port St. Lucie leads with 35. St. Lucie County has 47 positive cases, followed by 35 in Indian River and 33 in Martin. An 8-year-old boy in Indian River has tested positive.
The first case of coronavirus in Okeechobee County was confirmed Wednesday night. County Public Safety Director Ralph Franklin said a male, 41, was tested in the Tampa area. He is not physically located within Okeechobee County and is remaining in self-isolation in Tampa although the 14-day quarantine period has passed, Franklin said.
