State health officials reported 1,758 new cases of COVID-19, Monday, increasing the statewide total to 77,326 confirmed cases. That number is down slightly from the more than 2,000 new cases reported Sunday and the record setting 2,581 new cases reported Saturday.
The Florida Department of Health also reported seven new coronavirus-related deaths, Monday, bringing the statewide death toll to 2,938 fatalities, including 1,546 deaths in long-term care facilities.
Of the 1,431,164 tests that have been performed in Florida so far, 5.4 percent have been positive for the virus.
A new report from the Florida Department of Health shows that Florida's youngest residents are testing positive for the virus at almost double the rate of Floridians overall.
Even though less than 5 percent of Florida's positive COVID-19 tests have been in people under the age of 18, that age demographic is testing positive at nearly twice the rate of Floridians in other age groups.
The Florida Department of Health's pediatric COVID-19 case report, released June 12, says 103 of the children under 18 who have tested positive for the virus have been hospitalized, which is about three percent of all people in that younger age demographic that have tested positive. In comparison, 16 percent of overall positive cases statewide have required hospitalization.
Overall, Florida records a total of 12,015 coronavirus-related hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
In the Southwest Florida region including Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota Counties, state health officials reported 183 new cases of the virus and no new deaths.
Governor Ron DeSantis says the recent increases in daily numbers of reported cases of COVID-19 are a result of more people getting tested in the 25-to-45 age range as well as testing of agriculture workers, for instance. At a June 12 press conference, DeSantis downplayed the side effects that people 25-to-45-year-olds face from a coronavirus infection.
"The clinical consequences of them testing positive is usually very, very modest because they're not in the high-risk groups," he said.
But COVID-19 is a serious disease for people of all ages, says Dr. Aileen Marty, a professor at Florida International University and an infectious diseases specialist.
It’s true, she adds, that the risks increase the older one is but, "those among us who are fortunate enough not to have such serious disease that they need to be hospitalized are still a source of infection for more susceptible members of the population."
That’s why wearing masks and keeping distance from others remains vital.
The car rental company, Hertz is selling off vehicles in its fleet at discount prices, weeks after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late May. USA Today reports, Hertz’s current fleet includes about 70,000 rental cars, which have dropped in value due to a sharp decrease in used car prices caused by a free fall in auto sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Other companies like J.C. Penny and Neiman Marcus have also filed for bankruptcy protection in an effort to survive the economic downturn.
Estero based-Hertz Global Holdings, which also owns the brands Dollar and Thrift, had accrued more than $24 billion in debt by the end of March, with only $1 billion in available cash.
In late March the company laid off 12,000 workers and furloughed another 4,000 employees.
Gas prices in Florida now average more than $2 per gallon for the first time since March. However, fears of another surge in COVID-19 cases are causing recent price increases to level off.
According to Triple A Auto Club, one gallon of regular unleaded gas in Florida now costs $2.12, which is up 12 cents from last Monday and $0.25 higher than one month ago.
However, crude oil prices dropped eight percent last week. Experts say this is due, in part, to fears of a potential second round of coronavirus shutdowns.
Triple A spokesman W. D. Williams said there is a lot of uncertainty in the market right now, with the number of new COVID-19 cases increasing at the same time as most businesses are re-opening and people are again traveling.
“America’s economy is rebounding, and people are going back to work, which means they are resuming their normal daily commutes. That means the demand for gasoline is increasing,” said Williams.
Florida gas prices are still down more than $0.50 per gallon from one year ago.
The highest gas prices in the state are in West Palm Beach, with the cheapest fuel found in Pensacola.
