According to the Florida Department of Health, more than 12,000 cases of coronavirus and 105 virus-related deaths were added on Tuesday.
Over the past week, testing has declined across the country due to the closure of Christmas holiday, which has affected the state’s data. On Tuesday, health officials recorded 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 death toll dropped slightly to about 106 people who died Tuesday.
The one-day positivity rate soared to 22.75 percent, which according to the Florida Department of Health “should be interpreted with caution” due to holiday closure at doctor’s 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 daily reports of coronavirus could be affected until January 4th.
Vaccinations: As of Tuesday, 146,160 people in Florida have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, which is 23,279 more people than the previous day.
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.
The provinces of Miami-Dade and Broward lead the state with the most vaccinations. All of the vaccinations recorded are the first dose of two that have been “fully immunized” against the virus. Orange County has the third most people vaccinated, then Pinellas and Hillsborough.
Women continue to outnumber men if they receive the vaccination.
Hospitalizations: About 6,150 people are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 in Florida, according to the Health Care Administration Agency. About 1,270 are in the Tampa Bay area.
Worldwide, about 25 percent of the hospital beds and 21 percent of the intensive care units were available. In Tampa Bay, about 22 percent of the hospital beds and 20 percent of the ICU beds were available.
Positivity: According to Johns Hopkins University, the average weekly positive percentage of Florida is about 10 percent. It is one of 46 states that do not meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation for a rate of 5 percent or less.
If positivity is too high, it indicates that there are not enough widespread tests to detect mild and asymptomatic cases, which then go unnoticed and prevent the further spread of diseases.
Florida’s tests took a dive during the Christmas holidays as many state-owned and provincial testing facilities closed.
Local numbers: Tampa Bay on Tuesday added 1885 cases of coronavirus and 40 deaths.
Both Hernando and Polk provinces each recorded 13 deaths. Pasco had six deaths, Pinellas five and Manatee three. Hillsborough County did not report any new deaths on Tuesday.
Polk leads the area with an average weekly positivity rate of 15 percent, which rose as the test declined during the Christmas holidays. This is followed by the provinces of Citrus, Hernando and Hillsborough with 13 per cent, Pasco with 12 per cent and Manatee and Pinellas with 9 per cent.
As of the latest 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; 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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Cases of coronavirus in Florida by age group
Doctors say older people are at greater risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, making Florida particularly vulnerable.
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