Community Corner
For Six Months In Florida, COVID-19 Has Caused More Than 12,000 Deaths And 650,000 Infections
On March 1, DeSantis announced two coronavirus cases. His mishandling of it since then has caused its proliferation in Florida.
By Diane Rado
September 9, 2020
On March 1, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced two coronavirus cases in Florida, one in Hillsborough County and the other in Manatee. At the time, the virus was still little-known and the public wasn’t aware that any residents had died from it.
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Some six months later, Florida has reached the 12,000 mark for resident deaths and 650,000 for COVID-19 infections. The deaths and infections span all 67 counties.
As of Wednesday, the Florida Department of Health reported 12,115 deaths of Florida residents, and 652,148 infections.
Find out what's happening in Across Floridafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
To compare:
Florida ranks 3rd of the 50 states for the number of infections, following California and Texas, and 2nd of the 50 states for infections per 100,000, according to a New York Times analysis.
As to the number of deaths, Florida ranks 5th of the 50 states, behind New York, New Jersey, Texas and California. Florida ranks 15th for deaths per 100,000, the Times analysis shows.
Overall, test results are showing a decline in the percent of people who test positive for COVID-19, according to the state health department.
More to come….
This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.
