Florida reported another 2,610 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday morning and saw its coronavirus death toll rise over 3,000. Those numbers come one day after the state set a record with 2,783 new cases.
Florida is now up to 82,719 total cases and 3,018 deaths associated with COVID-19, according to the latest data released by the
health department.
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Of the people tested for the first time Tuesday in Florida, 10.3% were positive for COVID-19. Over the past two weeks, that positivity rate has fluctuated between around 3-7%.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said the state is “not shutting down” and will push forward with reopening, citing hospital vacancy and chalking up the higher daily case numbers to increased testing.
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Florida’s agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried slammed DeSantis over the state’s response.
“Today’s record-high new cases makes it clear: Governor DeSantis has lost control of Florida’s COVID-19 response,” Fried, a Democrat, said in a statement of the Republican governor. "His policies are simply not working, and he’s recklessly reopening Florida despite the data screaming for caution. Refusing to acknowledge the alarming patterns in cases, hospitalizations, and positivity is not only arrogant, but will cost lives, public health, and our economy.
“To our citizens, I implore you to wear masks and continue social distancing – and just because a place is open, doesn’t mean it’s safe to go there. To our local governments, please encourage your residents to stay home, mask up, and socially distance. If the Governor is unwilling to make the right decisions, then they must be made in our cities, our states, and our homes.”
Coronavirus: Florida reports another 2,610 cases and passes 3,000 deaths from COVID-19