More than 77,500 Florida residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started in early 2020, the latest report by the state Department of Health shows.
The report, issued Friday, said 77,565 residents had died of the virus, up from 76,662 in a July 15 report. Because of lags in reporting, it is not clear when the additional deaths occurred.
The new report also said 73,347 residents tested positive for COVID-19 from July 22 through Thursday.
The state has had more than 66,000 new cases in each of the past 10 weeks — and more than 71,000 new cases in eight of the weeks.
Meantime, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted data Friday that showed 4,476 Florida hospital inpatients had COVID-19, a decrease from the past two days.
HHS reported Thursday that 4,758 inpatients had COVID-19, after reporting a total of 4,699 on Wednesday.
The federal data released Friday also said 444 COVID-19 patients in Florida were in intensive care, down from 468 on Thursday and 457 on Wednesday.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every Florida county has a high rate of transmission except for Franklin, Glades and Collier, which have a medium level.
The levels, measured over a seven-day period ending Thursday, are based on a combination of new cases per capita, testing positivity rates and hospitalizations.
At high level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public and on public transportation, staying current on COVID vaccines and getting tested if showing symptoms. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.
Florida has seen an increase in cases this summer as subvariants of the coronavirus have spread.