Coronavirus update – May 18th
Bottom Line: This daily update is designed to put everything in perspective with straight-forward facts. No hyperbole, no misinformation, no nonsense. Over the weekend we crossed a couple of thresholds which serve as a reminder of the severity of the COVID-19 threat to date. There are now more than 1.5 million diagnosed cases in the United States and over 90,000 Americans who’ve died from the virus. As we continue reopening efforts in Florida and across the country, we should remember not to take threat of the virus lightly. More Americans have now died of COVID-19 than due to the traditional flu in any year since record keeping began at the CDC. Outside of the US Russia and Brazil continue to be the hot spots. Russia is now second in the world in cases with Brazil now fifth – having passed Italy in cases over the weekend.
Here’s where we stand as of now...
Worldwide:
- 4,815,234 – 316,846 deaths – 1,863,212 recovered
Nationally:
- 1,527,664 cases – 90,978 deaths – 346,389 recovered
Florida:
- 45,588 cases – 1,973 deaths
In Florida we’ve averaged 792 new diagnosed cases and 32 deaths over the past three days. There’s been a bit of nervousness recently about South Florida’s reopening on back of what appears to be a trend of new cases that’s stagnating rather than dropping. New case counts are being closely watched daily by state and local officials.
Florida remains 9th in the country in total cases and 10th in deaths. We’re the third most populous state. Florida’s performing far better than most states on a relative basis. We’ve also tested more aggressively than most states, with only New York having tested more than Florida. More than half of all of Florida’s cases remain in the tri-county area with Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach having the most cases in the state in that order.
The overall positive test rate in Florida has dropped to a new low of 7%. That's down from the peak of 11%. As a reminder, the newest diagnosed cases are new cases obtained through community spread. This reinforces the importance of adhering to the warnings of public officials including social distancing and wearing masks in public. The average age of someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in Florida is 53.