ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Florida reported another 10,000 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the 12th day since the Fourth of July the number has topped that threshold.
The state Department of Health reported 10,347 new cases and 90 deaths. That brings the state’s totals for the entire pandemic to more than 360,000 cases and over 5,100 deaths.
The new reported deaths brings Florida’s seven-day average to about 114 per day. Its overall deaths rank 25th in the nation per capita, or about 7 times less than highest-ranked New Jersey.
Hospitalizations for the disease continued to increase, standing at 9,452 statewide in the late morning Monday – up about 160 from the day before. Though the increase has slowed when compared to about week ago, those additional patients have been straining intensive care units of some hospitals in the South Florida, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville areas – and many administrators have limited non-emergency procedures to help make space.
Statewide, 18% of ICU beds were available.
The skyrocketing caseload is making for a strange summer in the Sunshine State, where many popular beaches are shuttered, residents and tourists can be fined for not wearing masks, and bars across the state aren’t allowed to pour liquor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis planned a news conference later Monday in Orlando to discuss the coronavirus crisis.
Critics have complained that DeSantis has not mandated a statewide mask ordinance as cases rise. The governor has repeatedly said policies in hard-hit South Florida might not make sense in the Panhandle, where the infection rate is lower, even as his fellow Republicans increasingly acknowledge the need for a unified, nonpartisan message.
