Florida adds 430,297 COVID cases, 470 deaths last week

Florida reported 430,297 new cases of coronavirus during the seven day period from January 7 to 13, an average of about 61,471 infections per day. That’s more than 2% of Florida’s total population infected last week.

It’s the third week in a row the state has shattered previous infection records. The seven-day average of omicron variant infections is more than double the daily average of 25,000 that the delta wave hit last summer. The first case of omicron in Florida was detected on December 6, when daily cases averaged less than 2,000 infections per day.

The latest tally brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 4,992,265 since the pandemic. the first two cases in Florida have been reported 22 months ago, March 1, 2020.

The state added 470 deaths since the previous report. That’s 150% more than the previous week and brings the total number of deaths from the pandemic statewide to 63,158.

Most of them happened more than a week ago and were recorded by the state within the last seven days. It can take two weeks or more for authorities to confirm COVID-19-related deaths, and holidays can delay reports.

The Florida Department of Health announced in June that it would no longer release daily data on COVID-19. Instead, it now publishes a report every Friday – but it continues to withhold other information that was previously publicly available.

As of June 4, the state no longer reports nonresident vaccinations, coronavirus cases, and deaths. The state has repeatedly refused requests to provide data on nonresidents to the Tampa Bay Weather.

Despite repeated requests from the Time, the state does not report the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status.

VACCINES: Florida administered 172,766 doses of the vaccine last week, up from 125,196 doses the previous week. This includes 86,383 first-time vaccinations. More than 5.7 million Floridians ages 5 and older who are eligible are still unvaccinated.

Vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 numbered 21,382 last week, down from 18,465 the previous week. In total, 18% of children aged 5 to 11 received at least one vaccine injection.

As of Thursday, 72% of Florida residents ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the state.

Yet 31% of Florida’s total population is still unvaccinated, including children 4 and under, who are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine.

Vaccination rates are highest among Florida seniors. About 91% of people aged 65 and over have been vaccinated and 90% of people aged 60-64 are vaccinated.

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Children and young adults remain the least vaccinated age groups. In Florida, 5-11 year olds are 18% vaccinated, 12-19 year olds 59%, 20-29 year olds 61% and 30-39 year olds 70% vaccinated.

In Manatee and Pinellas counties, 68% of eligible residents 5 years and older were vaccinated; this number is 67% in Hillsborough; in Pasco, 66%; in Polk, 65%; and 60 percent in Citrus and Hernando.

REMINDER SHOTS: Florida administered 194,631 booster doses, down more than 25,000 injections from the previous week. Booster injections are available to anyone aged 12 and over who received either their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months ago or their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at least five months ago.

POSITIVITY: Florida’s positivity rate fell slightly to 29.3% last week from 31.2% the previous week. Positivity rates were highest in children and young adults, with those aged 12 to 19 testing positive 32.5% of the time. The positivity was 32% for 20-29 year olds and 31.2% for children 5-11 and adults 30-39.

According to the World Health Organization, states should maintain a positivity rate of 5% or less for at least two weeks before fully reopening. A positivity rate of 5% or less indicates that testing is widespread enough to capture mild, asymptomatic and negative cases.

The positivity rates in the Tampa Bay area were 32.6% in Polk, 30.8% in Pasco, 30.1% in Hillsborough, 28.9 in Hernando, 27.5% in Pinellas, 27.2% in Manatee and 24.3% in Citrus.

HOSPITALIZATIONS: Florida had 11,160 confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals as of Friday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. That’s up more than 30% from the previous week.

The Tampa Bay area recorded 2,898 COVID-19 hospitalizations between Jan. 6 and Jan. 12, the latest available data, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hillsborough County hospitals had 1,153 admissions, Pinellas had 685; Polk had 554; Pasco had 215; The manatee had 137; Hernando had 106 and Citrus had 48.

LOCAL NUMBERS: Tampa Bay added 71,295 cases last week, bringing the region’s total to 891,556 cases.

As of Thursday’s tally, Hillsborough added 24,400 cases, Polk added 14,852, Pinellas added 14,316, Pasco added 8,230, Manatee added 5,423, Hernando added 2,614 and Citrus added added 1,460.

The CDC reported that the Tampa Bay area had 50 deaths Jan. 6-12, up from 15 deaths the previous week. Pinellas and Polk counties had 13 deaths each; Pasco had 11 deaths; Citrus had 6 deaths; Hillsborough has had 5 deaths and Manatee and Hernando counties each have 1.

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How to get tested

Tampa Bay: The Times can help you find free and public COVID-19 testing sites in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.

Florida: The Ministry of Health has a website which lists the test sites in the state. Some information may be out of date.

United States: The Department of Health and Social Services has a website who can help you find a test site.

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How to get vaccinated

The COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 and older and boosters for eligible recipients are being administered at doctor’s offices, clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores and public vaccination sites. Many allow you to book appointments online. Here’s how to find a site near you:

Find a site: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination sites in your postal code.

More help: Call the National COVID-19 Immunization Hotline.

Call: 800-232-0233. Help is available in English, Spanish, and other languages.

TTY: 888-720-7489

Disability Access and Information Line: Call 888-677-1199 or email [email protected].

• • •

OMICRON VARIANT: Omicron has changed what we know about COVID. Here is the latest on how the infectious variant of COVID-19 affects masks, vaccines, recalls and quarantine.

CHILDREN AND VACCINES: Do you have questions about your child’s vaccination? Here are some answers.

REMINDER SHOTS: Not sure which COVID reminder to get? This guide will help you.

APPEAL QUESTIONS: Are there any side effects? Why do I need it? here are the answers to your questions.

PROTECTING SENIORS: Here’s how seniors can stay safe from virus.

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