Coronavirus in Florida – April 9th Update
Bottom Line: We had 951 new cases and 27 deaths in Florida on Wednesday. Yes, we crossed the 15,000th case and 300th death threshold but the news was generally encouraging. It marked the third consecutive day of a decline in new diagnosed cases in Florida, and the 27 deaths are 15 fewer than the previous day. There was generally encouraging news throughout the state – especially in South Florida where we account for over half of the cases in Florida. Additionally, new estimates show that Florida isn’t expected to have a bed shortage, even during the peak of the outbreak which is believed to be about twelve days away. Current bed usage is under 50% in Florida.
Florida remained 8th in the country in total cases and 10th in deaths despite being the third most populous state. We’re performing far better than most states on a relative basis. We’re also testing more aggressively than most states, adjusted for population, making the performance of our state even more impressive. This is all encouraging news. The range in age for positive tests in our state ranges from infants to 103. More than half of all of Florida’s cases currently are in the tri-county area with Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach having the most cases in the state in that order.
Here’s where we now stand in Florida:
- 15,698 cases – 323 deaths
Here’s the count in South Florida right now...
- Broward: 2,265
- Miami-Dade: 5,461
- Palm Beach: 1,224
We continue to see a high rate of positive test results in Florida. To date 11% of all tests for COVID-19 have come back positive. The further into testing we go the more likely the newest diagnosed cases are new cases. This reinforces the importance of adhering to the warnings of public officials including social distancing and safer-at-home declarations. The highest concentration of cases is coming from those between the ages of 45-54.