Florida posted 62 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday to bring the resident toll to 7,084, closing out a grim week for reported fatalities since the pandemic broke out in the state.
From Sunday to Sunday, Florida saw a staggering 1,230 deaths, setting a new record for weekly reported deaths. There were also 63,277 new cases reported and 3,086 hospitalizations, the latter falling just short of the previous week’s record.
A record-breaking 257 deaths were reported Friday alone, according to the Florida Department of Health.
In comparison, the week ending July 26 saw 73,808 new cases, 872 deaths and 3,093 hospitalizations.
When state health officials report a death in the daily update, the number encompasses several days, with actual days of death occurring weeks prior in some cases. The state maintains a chart of actual days of death on its COVID-19 dashboard showing the deadliest days as July 17 with 143 fatalities, but also more than 100 deaths each day between July 7-26.
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Another 122 non-Florida residents have died because of COVID-19, making the overall toll 7,206.
Health experts said the uptick in deaths is expected as fatalities follow the surge in positive cases that took over the state earlier in July.
With 7,104 new positive cases reported Sunday, the statewide total is now 487,132, according to FDOH. The state has reported less than 10,000 positive cases for the last seven days, following several record-high daily reports in July.
Florida’s record for a single-day increase was set July 12 with 15,300 new cases.
Florida’s case total sits behind California, which leads the United States with just over 500,000 cases, according to its COVID-19 dashboard.
More than 3.7 million people have been tested in Florida, with 41,687 more tests reported Sunday compared with the previous day. Over 2.7 million tests have been administered since May 31.
Statewide, the latest positivity rate made available by the Florida Department of Health, for Saturday, was 9.28%. This report marks the 15th day in a row of a positivity rate under 15%.
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Central Florida on Sunday added 988 cases for a total of 76,587: 233 new cases in Orange for 29,699; 256 in Polk for 12,991; 133 in Osceola for 8,782; 138 in Volusia for 7,097; 73 in Seminole for 6,639; 66 in Brevard for 5,587; 49 in Lake for 4,661; and 40 in Sumter for 1,131. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
Central Florida had 12 of the deaths reported Sunday, bringing the regional toll to 987 including three more in Seminole, two in Orange, Polk, Brevard and Volusia each, and one in Osceola. There were no new deaths reported in Lake or Sumter on Sunday.
Central Florida accounts for nearly 16% of the cases statewide and nearly 14% of the deaths. The region’s share of the state’s deaths has ticked up compared with June and the start of July, when it had steadily remained at under 9% of Florida’s total.
Polk, due to nursing-home outbreaks, has the most coronavirus fatalities in Central Florida with 271, followed by 234 in Orange, 117 in Brevard, 115 in Volusia, 87 in Seminole, 80 in Osceola, 51 in Lake, and 32 in Sumter.
To date, 27,150 people have been hospitalized in Florida, the state’s COVID-19 dashboard shows, up 538 more than a day earlier.
Saturday’s report of 439 hospitalizations broke a four-day streak where more than 500 new hospitalizations were reported.
Daily new hospitalizations are up sharply over the past two weeks statewide. They averaged 200 from June through mid-July.
Across Florida, 7,982 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The state’s online tool updates several times throughout the day.
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However, in Central Florida, hospitalizations seem to have reached their peak — at least for now — after reaching an all-time high. Still, doctors and public health experts caution that COVID-19 hospitalizations are nowhere close to their lowest point two months ago and may go up again if more people are infected.
Orange County reported 442 patients hospitalized, Osceola with 152, Seminole with 125, and Lake with 93 as of about 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, now has reported 214,891 positive cases, which is 3,033 than a day earlier. The three-county region is the epicenter of the pandemic in Florida, accounting for 44% of cases among Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
South Florida’s reported deaths on Sunday rose by 25 for a total of 3,247, nearly 46% of the state’s total.
Some researchers say Florida’s death toll could double by Labor Day unless people devote themselves to social distancing and facial coverings.
A detailed breakdown of Florida’s coronavirus cases can be found here, and county-by-county data can be found here.
List of mobile coronavirus and antibody testing sites in Central Florida by county
The virus has infected nearly 18 million people and has killed over 685,000 worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. In the U.S., over 4.6 million people have been infected and over 154,000 are dead.
The U.S. has the most fatalities by far, followed by Brazil with over 93,000, Mexico with over 47,000, the United Kingdom with over 46,000, India with over 37,000, Italy with over 35,000, France with over 30,000 and Spain with over 28,000.
Within the U.S., New York has the most deaths with over 32,000, followed by New Jersey with over 15,000.
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Local coronavirus victims: Their lives remembered
Deborah Denise Henson spent much of her adult life in pain — the result of a freakish accident that left her with plates and screws in her back. But you wouldn’t have known it from her smile. She survived a host of medical problems before succumbing to COVID-19.
Pong Hui Chartier, known as “Connie” to customers at the dry cleaning business she operated in Ocoee, liked to do things her way. “She’s never been someone that rested. She was always go, go, go. If anyone was going to live to be 100, it would be my mother,” her daughter said. At 79, Pong Hui took only one medication — for her thyroid. But in early March, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Weeks later, she died as a victim of coronavirus.
Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 killed both Pete and Eleanor Baker, retired snowbirds who were married nearly 62 years and spent winters in an RV in Central Florida.
See more Central Florida coronavirus obituaries here.
Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Naseem Miller of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
