FL Reports Fewest Number Of New Coronavirus Cases Since Mid June

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida health officials on Monday reported the fewest number of new cases of the coronavirus since mid June, but the mayor of the state's hardest hit county said he will hold off on any additional reopenings for the time being.

"We don't want to rush into something and then all the sudden, back in the fall, find ourselves in a situation that we're just coming out of right now," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez told reporters Monday during a virtual news conference. "It's a tricky situation. It's a delicate one. We want to get our number down before we start to reopen, but we have plans already to reopen."

State health officials reported 2,678 new cases of the virus Monday over the previous 24-hour period. Officials said Monday marked the fifth straight day where the state has experienced a daily positivity rate below 10 percent. The state's overall positivity rate was at 13.52 percent based on 4,259,573 total tests.

Gimenez said he and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez have been participating in weekly telephone conference calls with Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah L. Birx who advised them to be cautious about reopening indoor dining and other activities based on a concern there will be a second surge of cases this fall.

"They recommend that we get as low as possible because they are also anticipating a second surge sometime in the fall," Gimenez explained. "They say the lower that you get your number, the lower that second surge will be. We need to get somewhere around 5 percent and then stay very strict with our mask guidelines and social distancing, etc. before we open up those riskier activities of our society."

The total number of deaths in Florida rose to 9,539 Monday from 9,452 a day earlier. That represents an increase of 89 new deaths over the previous day. The latest one-day record of 276 reported deaths was set last Tuesday.

Health officials reported another 135 deaths involving non-Florida residents who died in Florida. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Florida rose to 576,094 on Monday, up from 573,416 a day earlier.

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Thirteen of Florida's 67 counties reported 87 new deaths Monday (health officials reported 89 deaths). That compares to 107 new deaths Sunday, 205 new deaths Saturday (state health officials reported 204), 228 new deaths Friday, 148 new deaths reported Thursday, 226 new deaths Wednesday (state health officials reported 212), 276 new deaths reported Tuesday and 91 new deaths last Monday.

Here's a breakdown of the counties reporting new deaths:

• Dade County reported 24 new deaths.
• Broward County reported 33 new deaths.
• Pinellas County reported 10 new deaths.
• Hillsborough County reported four new deaths.
• Lake County reported three new deaths.
• Pasco County reported three new deaths.
• Collier County reported two new deaths.
• Marion County reported two new deaths.
• Polk County reported two new deaths.
• Jackson County reported one new death.
• Alachua County reported one new death.
• Charlotte County reported one new death.
• St. Johns County reported one new death.

The state reported 34,194 hospitalizations on Monday, up from 33,928 hospitalizations a day earlier. That represents an increase of 266 new hospitalizations over the previous day.

In an effort to provide as much information to our readers as possible, Patch has been publishing a daily county-by-county breakdown of the coronavirus cases in Florida's 67 counties, along with the median age of patients, the number of hospital cases by county and the number of deaths.

Miami-Dade, which includes Miami and Miami Beach, reported 146,026 cases of the virus as of Monday. Nearby Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, reported 66,826 cases. Palm Beach County, which includes Palm Beach, West Palm and Boca Raton, reported 39,274 cases.

Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, reported 34,368 cases. Orange County, which includes Orlando, reported 33,486 cases.

Patch updates this chart once each day based on data provided by the Florida Department of Health. The counties that reported new deaths on Monday are shown in bold.

Here is the most recent data available: