COVID-19 Cases Surpass 550,000; High Rates Of Infections In N. Florida Counties Where Schools Are Opening

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Diane Rado
August 12, 2020

The Florida Department Health on Wednesday reported 550,901 COVID-19 infections, as more public schools opened their doors amid high rates of infections, particularly in some North Florida counties.

The death toll of Florida resident deaths rose to 8,765, with 212 new deaths reported in more than half of Florida’s 67 counties, according to the state data.

The rise in North Florida cases can in part be connected to COVID-19 infections in state prisons in that part of the state, according to Department of Corrections data.

And coronavirus testing shows a high percentage of positive results in some North Florida counties. For example, in Suwannee County, 22 percent of those tested were positive for COVID-19, according to the state health data. That’s one of highest percentages in the state.

In Lafayette and Taylor counties, 19 percent of those tested were positive, and in Baker, 18 percent.

As of Wednesday, brick-and-mortar schools are open in at least 10 school districts: Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Martin, Suwannee and Union. (A county encompasses a school district.)

At least a half dozen of those counties have high rates of COVID-19 infections, based on an analysis by the New York Times of infections per 100,000 people. Those counties include Hamilton, Suwannee, Hardee, Baker, Calhoun and Dixie.

But based on the numbers overall, the larger counties in Florida have far more infections.

Miami-Dade has 139,271 infections; Broward, 64,080, and Palm Beach, 37,934. Those three counties have been at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.