Florida on Friday recorded its third straight day of 1,300-plus new cases of coronavirus, with another 1,305 infections logged for a new total of 61,488.
Fifty-three new fatalities were reported Friday, compared with the previous day, bringing the state’s death toll to 2,660.
The sharp increases in cases this week come as most of Florida enters Phase 2 of reopening the economy. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office attributes the upticks to expanded testing.
Central Florida now has 6,392 cases, an increase of 97 over Thursday. There are 41 new cases in Orange County for a total of 2,210; 27 more in Polk for 1,127; seven more in Volusia for 791; six in Osceola for 732; three in Seminole for 515; eight in Brevard for 439; four in Lake for 317; and one in Sumter for 261. (See details on all Central Florida cases here).
Four new deaths were reported Friday in Central Florida, including an 83-year-old man in Polk County; and three victims in Volusia: a 77-year-old man, and two women ages 78 and 80.
Volusia’s virus fatalities have now surpassed Orange County’s. The overall region’s death toll now stands at 228, with the most in Polk County at 64, followed by Volusia with 44, Orange with 43, Osceola with 20, Sumter with 17, Lake with 15, Brevard with 13 and Seminole with 12.
South Florida, home to 29% of Florida’s population, remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for 55% of cases with 33,487 total. That includes 558 new cases reported Friday among Miami-Dade (19,056), Broward (7,572) and Palm Beach (6,859) counties.
South Florida also has the most deaths at 1,454, which is 55% of the state’s fatalities. On Friday, 20 new deaths were reported in the three-county region.
Since the outbreak began, 1,135,865 tests have been administered, with 94.5% of those negative.
The state’s deadliest day remains May 4 with 59 reported fatalities, according to the Florida Department of Health. In April, the U.S. peaked at nearly 2,300 deaths in one day.
Nationwide, there are over 1.8 million cases with over 108,000 deaths. Worldwide, there are over 6.6 million cases and over 392,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.
The U.S. has the most fatalities by far, followed by the United Kingdom with over 39,000, Brazil with over 34,000, Italy with over 33,000, France with over 29,000, and Spain with over 27,000.
Within the U.S., New York has the most deaths with over 30,000, followed by New Jersey with over 11,000.
Florida ranks 11th in fatalities, but with more than 21 million in population and less than 1 in 1,000 deaths in the state, it ranks in the mid-20s for death rate.
Click here for a timeline of how the coronavirus crisis grew in Central Florida.
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Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story cited Florida’s death rate as less than 1 in 100,000. It is less than 1 in 1,000.
Local coronavirus victims: Their lives remembered
Pneumonia caused by COVID-19 killed both Pete and Eleanor Baker, retired snowbirds who were married nearly 62 years and spent winters in an RV in Central Florida.
Herman Boehm of Mount Dora, who enjoyed a life filled with adventures with his wife, died March 29 after contracting coronavirus. He was 86. Well into his 80s, Boehm enjoyed near-annual trips to Europe with his wife. Earlier in life, they spent a year cruising in the Bahamas on a sailboat. They went scuba diving and skiing. They danced the Argentine Tango.
A fiesty woman who witnessed World War II and 9/11 firsthand, Ada Ficarra’s story is one of survival, said her daughter Liz Starr. Born in the small town of Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Ficarra died April 26 at Sonata West, an assisted living facility in Winter Garden, where she had lived since 2018. She was 79.
See more Central Florida coronavirus obituaries here.
Symptoms? Do this
Are you feeling stressed or depressed from the COVID19 outbreak? There are resources available for you. You can contact the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit https://www.samhsa.gov/disaster-preparedness
How to protect yourself
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home when you are sick and avoid contact with people in poor health.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Follow these recommendations for using a face mask: The CDC now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Follow these guidelines for using a cloth mask.
Questions? Here are numbers to call
The Florida Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions about coronavirus. There’s a number for Orange County, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s number is 1-866-779-6121 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may also email questions to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
In Orange County, the number to call is 407-723-5004; it’s available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For mental-health help, here is a list of resources.
For accurate, up-to-date information, visit
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov
The Florida Department of Health: floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19. For questions, call the COVID-19 call center at 866-779-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov.
A live map of COVID-19 cases around the globe: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
You want to be extra-prepared? Here’s how to stock up before a pandemic: ready.gov/pandemic
For the latest coronavirus updates, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus and follow @orlandosentinel on Twitter.
See complete coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/coronavirus.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.
