Florida's COVID cases fill hospital beds
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Health on Friday reported 150,118 new coronavirus cases this last week, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases among Florida residents since the start of the pandemic to 3,027,954.
There were 346 deaths reported during the same period, between Aug. 13 and Aug. 19; however, the total number of deaths is listed at 42,252, which reflects an additional 1,486 deaths added to last week's report. These numbers represent Florida residents as the state no longer reports on non-resident deaths. Deaths can also take several days or weeks to report.
The new case positivity rate in Florida was just under 20%
Thirty-four percent of the patients hospitalized Friday in Florida had COVID-19, the highest percentage in the nation, according to data posted on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.
Florida had 17,198 inpatient beds filled by people with COVID-19. Overall, 86 percent of the state’s hospital beds were occupied.
Hospitals report information to the federal government daily on the number of patients with COVID-19 in their facilities. The delta variant of the novel coronavirus is responsible for a dramatic increase in hospitalizations.
Florida hospital executives have stressed the hospitalizations are mostly occurring in unvaccinated patients. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health posted a weekly report Friday that said Florida has topped 3 million COVID-19 cases since the pandemic started in early 2020.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.