Florida added more than 12,000 cases of coronavirus and 105 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Tests across the state dropped in the last week due to the closure of the Christmas holiday, which affected state data. On Tuesday, health officials registered another 12,075 infections, bringing the number of cases detected since March to 1,292,252. The total death toll reached 21,718 people in Florida.
The weekly average of deaths dropped slightly to about 106 people declared dead per day on Tuesday.
The single-day positivity rate skyrocketed to 22.75 percent, which the Florida Department of Health said “should be interpreted with caution” due to the closure of holidays at doctors’ offices and test sites. About 62,000 tests were processed on Monday, about half of what was done the previous week. Health officials also said that daily coronavirus reports could be affected until January 4.
Vaccinations: As of Tuesday, 146,160 people in Florida have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is 23,279 more people than the day before.
In Tampa Bay, 10,769 people were vaccinated in Hillsborough; 10,834 in Pinellas; 2,609 in Polk; 1,991 in Manatee; 3,009 in Pasco; 845 in Hernando; and 430 in Citrus.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties lead the state with the highest number of vaccinations. All registered vaccinations are the first of two doses to be “fully immunized” against the virus. Orange County has the third country with the most vaccinated people, after Pinellas and Hillsborough.
Women continue to outperform men in receiving vaccination.
Hospitalizations: About 6,150 people are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 across Florida, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. About 1,270 are in the Tampa Bay area.
Across the state, about 25% of hospital beds and 21% of beds in intensive care units were available. In Tampa Bay, about 22% of hospital beds and 20% of ICU beds were available.
Positivity: Florida’s average weekly positivity rate is about 10%, according to Johns Hopkins University. It is one of 46 states that does not meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation for a rate of 5% or less.
When positivity is very high, this indicates that there are not enough widespread tests to capture mild and asymptomatic cases, which go unnoticed and cause further spread of the disease.
Florida’s tests fell during the Christmas holiday, as many state and county-run test facilities closed.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 1,885 coronavirus cases and 40 deaths on Tuesday.
Hernando and Polk counties recorded 13 deaths each. Pasco had six deaths, Pinellas had five and Manatee had three. Hillsborough County reported no new deaths on Tuesday.
Polk leads the area with an average weekly positivity rate of 15 percent, which increased as the tests decreased during the Christmas holiday. It is followed by the counties of Citrus, Hernando and Hillsborough with 13%, Pasco with 12% and Manatee and Pinellas with 9%.
By the last count, Hillsborough has 75,547 cases and 1,071 deaths; Pinellas has 43,869 cases and 1,047 deaths; Polk has 36,253 cases and 784 deaths; The manatee has 21,711 cases and 420 deaths; Pasco has 21,370 cases and 369 deaths; Hernando has 7,139 cases and 278 deaths; and Citrus has 6,508 cases and 262 deaths.
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Florida coronavirus cases by age group
Doctors say the elderly are at an increased risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, which makes Florida especially vulnerable.
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