The state death toll from the coronavirus skyrocketed from 101 to 144 in one day, including Palm Beach County, which leads with 27 fatalities, the Health Department announced Thursday night.
With 43 additional deaths in Florida, the 42.6 percent increase is the second-highest percentage increase for the top 10 states in fatalities. Also, total far exceeds the previous state high of 17 set last week.
The state death toll rose from 101 to 128 on Thursday morning then jumped 16 cases on Thursday night, according to state tracking. No deaths were reported Thursday morning in Palm Beach County but it rose five at night.
In the nation, Florida ranked fourth in new deaths, behind 319 in New York, 182 in New Jersey, 154 in New York, 80 in Michigan and ahead of Louisiana with 37, according to evening tracking by Worldometers.com. Of states in the top 10, New Jersey had the biggest increase in deaths with a 51.3 percent increase.
States and territories reported an additional 986 deaths, with every state reporting a fatality except for Wyoming. The total death toll is 6,088.
Statewide, the number of positive cases increased 1,235 for a total of 9,008 positive cases, including 8,694 residents. The increase is 15.8 percent in one day. The previous day is rose 15.3 percent.
With 71,348 negative results, the positive rate is 11 percent.
A total of 1,167 Florida residents are hospitalized, up from 990 the day before.
St. Lucie County recorded its third death Thursday, a 31-year-old woman.
The deaths announced Thursday in Palm Beach County are men 74, 85, 88, 88 and a 76-year-old woman. A 64-year-old victim is the youngest fatality in the county and the oldest is a 94-year-old man. In all there are 15 male and 12 female deaths in the county.
Although Palm Beach County is a distant third in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state with 737, up from 616 the day before, the number of deaths surpass Miami Dade (20) and Broward (17). Four more deaths were confirmed in Broward and six in Miami Dade on Thursday.
There are 2,886 positive cases in Miami Dade and 1,481 ones in Broward.
In South Florida, including the Treasure Coast, there are 66 deaths, which represents 45.8 percent of the fatalities in the state.
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.
Boca Raton leads the county in confirmed cases in Palm Beach County with 115, followed by Boynton Beach with 117, West Palm Beach with 109 and Delray Beach with 100
On the Treasure Coast, St. Lucie County has 48 positive cases, followed by 41 in Indian River and 34 in Martin. An 8-year-old boy in Indian River has tested positive. Port St. Lucie has the most cases with 35.
The number of cases in Okeechobee County remains at one. On 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.
A total of 101 are hospitalized in Palm Beach County. The hospitalization totals are 7 in Martin County, 3 in St. Lucie and 6 in Indian River.
Testing has ramped up in Palm Beach with a massive site in FITTEAM Ballpark in West Palm Beach at . In the county, 3,920 have been tested compared with 680 in St. Lucie, 460 in Martin, 426 in Indian River and 69 in Okeechobee County. These includes people awaitng the results of tests.
The testing figures are higher south of Palm Beach County where massive test sites earlier were set up at Hard Rock casino and Marlins Park. Miami Dade's testing total is 14,854 and Broward's is 13,196.
