ORLANDO, Fla. — New coronavirus cases in Florida dropped by more than half this week when compared to last week, the Florida Department of Health said Friday. There were 42,473 new coronavirus cases this week among Florida residents to bring the cumulative total to 5,775,171. With 1,330 more fatalities on record, 68,902 Florida residents have died.
This week’s 1,330 deaths reflect a slight increase from the 1,293 reported last week, but deaths can take several days or weeks to be reported. The majority of the newly reported deaths are people who died before this week.
The number of weekly cases decreased compared to the previous week’s 103,022. Positivity decreased to 8.2%. That’s for new cases only and excludes anyone who previously tested positive.
Of note, the state reports deal only with Florida resident cases and exclude non-residents cases, which are no longer available.
Across the state, 5,355 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 from Feb. 9-15, according to the latest White House report. In comparison, 7,397 were hospitalized the previous week. The week before that, it was 9,632.
Statewide, 15,379,508 residents, or 74% of people age 5 and up, have received at least one vaccination shot, including 8,235,681 who have completed their shot regimens but not received an additional dose through Feb. 17. Meanwhile, 24,004 received an additional dose last week, bringing the total to 5,007,337.
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