Florida sets record for number of COVID-19 deaths in a day

Florida, a state that has consistently broken records for coronavirus infections lately, has once again broken a record for the number of deaths due to the virus in a day.

On Thursday, the Sunshine State reported 173 more COVID-19 fatalities, which is the most of any day throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the Sun-Sentinel reported. As recently as last month, the state broke the record multiple times for single-day rates of infection. On June 20, state officials confirmed 4,049 additional cases of COVID-19, which had set yet another daily total record high since the start of the pandemic.

The previous high was 156 deaths one week ago. Thursday’s total also is an increase over Wednesday’s reported 140 fatalities.

More than 5,632 people have died from COVID-19 complications in Florida, including 114 people who were not residents.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference that he is hopeful the state will soon see encouraging data trends, based on signs of “positive momentum” outside of South Florida.

“I do think we are going to head in a better direction shortly,” the governor said during a news conference at a Melbourne hospital.

Infections are also on the rise, according to the state Department of Health. Thursday saw a total 10,249 more cases. The state has reported an average of 10,585 cases per day, and 121 deaths per day, during the last seven days.

Data has put Florida on the list of one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus in the country. The new infections reported Thursday bring the total cases to 389,868, the third highest in the country behind California and New York, according to the COVID Data Tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Miami Herald analysis of public and nonpublic COVID-19 data found that as of June 3, new cases in Florida had consistently been trending up since mid-May and the trends could not be attributed solely to increases in testing.

And as bars, gyms, vacation rentals and movie theaters reopened at partial capacity in all but three South Florida counties, the number and rate of new COVID-19 cases were rising statewide — a troubling indicator that the disease could be spreading more quickly.

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