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COVID-19 deaths in Florida increase by 1,324 as new cases continue to decline

Another 1,324 Floridians have died from COVID-19, according to the Florida Department of Health's weekly coronavirus report released on Friday.

It’s the largest weekly increase in deaths since the week ending Oct. 7, 2021. The state’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 66,279.

The United States surpassed 900,000 COVID deaths on Friday.

New cases and hospitalizations continued to decline in Florida. The state reported an additional 132,622 coronavirus cases for the week ending Thursday, down from 198,718 the week before.

As of Friday evening, there were 8,132 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Florida. That's down more than 15% from a week earlier.

The positivity rate for new cases statewide dropped 5.5% to 18%. Rates in the greater Tampa Bay region declined as well, but most counties except for Pinellas still reported figures higher than the state average.

Vaccinations increased slightly, as 74% of Florida residents aged five and older have received at least one shot.

The following is a summary from Jan. 28-Feb. 3.

Cases: 5,610,370 positive cases, an increase of 132,622 from the previous week.

Vaccinations: 15,325,335 Florida residents have been vaccinated, a weekly increase of 26,828. In all, 74% of Florida’s population over the age of five has received at least one dose of vaccine, up one percent from a week ago.

Positivity Rate: The positivity rate for new cases statewide was 18%, down from 23.5% the previous week.

Deaths: A total of 66,279 Florida residents have died from a primary diagnosis of COVID-19, an increase of 1,324 from the previous week.

(NOTE: Cases and deaths in the report may have happened days or weeks earlier, according to state officials. The state is also now only counting deaths involving Florida residents.)

County Breakdown:(Jan. 28-Feb. 3)

County Cases (Increase) Positivity (prv.) # Vaccinations % Vaccinated (prv.) *
Hillsborough 355,347 (8,590) 19.4% (25.6%) 974,692 69% (68%)
Pinellas 197,833 (5,717) 18.0% (25.2%) 653,654 69% (68%)
Polk 191,731 (5,268) 20.7% (27.6%) 447,330 66% (65%)
Sarasota 84,059 (3,246) 20.8% (22.7%) 328,723 77% (77%)
Manatee 90,834 (2,922) 20.0% (23.8%) 267,728 69% (69%)
Pasco 116,068 (3,680) 21.6% (28.9%) 350,733 67% (67%)
Hernando 40,044 (1,383) 26.0% (28.5%) 113,690 61% (60%)

* - Vaccination rate now includes children ages 5-11 years old.

ABOUT THE DATA: As of June 4, 2021, the Florida Department of Health no longer offers daily updates on coronavirus data, and instead issues a county-by-county and statewide weekly breakdown on about COVID-19 cases, deaths, and other information. Cases and deaths in the report may have happened days or weeks earlier, according to state officials. The state is also now only counting deaths involving Florida residents.

Copyright 2022 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7.

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Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters,WUSF’s public affairs show. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project.