The Florida Department of Health only updated counts of COVID-19 cases once a day this weekend.
So this morning’s update, the first in 24 hours, brought good news for the state as a whole: 535 new cases were reported, the lowest number since March 25, when “the curve” began to take shape and starting a stretch of about two weeks where the daily number was between 1,000 and 1,500 new cases.
Osceola is now up to 470 cases, just nine more than the 463 listed Friday evening. Hospitalizations are at 130, just four more than Thursday morning.
Miami-Dade County, with over 11,500 cases, still has about 40 percent of the state’s cases. Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County combine for 60 percent of the state’s cases, hospitalizations and fatalities. But, speaking in Tampa this morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said 45 percent of Dade County’s ICU beds are available, and statewide about 400 COVID-19 patients are on ventilators — with 6,000 breathing machines sitting idle.
Remeber, the AdventHealth drive-up testing center at Osceola Heritage Park is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through at least Friday. An Osceola County Health Department location will open at St. Cloud High School from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and that mobile location is expected to move around the county next week — so stay tuned for updates.
DeSantis said this morning the state will be expanding specimen testing up to 18,000 more per day, to quicken the pace of results of tests performed.
