Florida Breaks One-Day Record for New Coronavirus Cases, Exceeds 10,000 for First Time

Rudy TakalaJul 2nd, 2020, 12:38 pm

Eva Marie Uzcategui, Getty

Florida exceeded 10,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, setting a new daily record just ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend.

Florida’s Department of Health reported that 16.58 percent of those who tested for the virus received a positive result. The state experienced 10,109 new cases of the virus for the day, surpassing the previous record of 9,585 set Saturday five days earlier. The figure exceeds the total number of cases Florida experienced between March 1 — when the first case was detected — and April 2, when the number reached 9,008.

As of July 2, total cases in the state stood at 169,106. The Department of Health said there were 67 new coronavirus-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 3,617. To date, that statistic represents a bright spot for the state. It means that 2.1 percent of residents who have contracted the virus have died as a result compared to 4.7 percent nationally. Experts have suggested that younger Americans have begun contracting it at higher rates than old Americans, which could be a factor in declining death rates.

New cases have been driven by Miami-Dade County, where hospitalizations related to Covid-19 also hit an all-time daily high of 1,298 on Wednesday.

Leaders in South Florida have sought to curb the spread to little avail, announcing last week that oceanfronts from Palm Beach to Miami would be closed for the July 4 weekend. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber announced on Wednesday he was imposing a curfew in his city moving forward from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m, while Miami Mayor Francis Suarez imposed a June 23 order demanding that residents wear face coverings in outdoor as well as indoor areas. Miami Beach followed suit on Tuesday, announcing that residents caught without a mask would be fined $50.

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