Florida reports 20,194 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest since September

Figures released Wednesday showed more than 20,000 Floridians tested positive for the coronavirus. It's the first time the single-day case count has been that high since Sept. 1.

The 20,194 cases reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were added since Tuesday's report, bringing the state's total to 3,799,661.

It comes just a day after the state reported 12,915 cases. The last time Florida exceeded 10,000 reported daily cases was on Sept. 21.

While the cases were recorded in the last few days, they may have occurred in recent weeks or months.

Hospital officials across the state are reportingthat the rapid spread of the omicron variant is playing a role in the increasing numbers.

Florida has added almost 106,000 new cases this month, after two months with fewer than 100,000 cases.

Hospitalizations where COVID-19 is the primary reason also jumped by 206 to 1,849 Wednesday. That's up more than 18 percent in the past week.

In addition, 314 COVID-19 patients are in the ICU, just over 5% of Florida's staffed ICU beds.

Deaths were unchanged at 62,264.

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