Florida leads US in Covid-19 cases as hospitalizations increase

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MIAMI — Florida records more Covid-19 cases than any other US state, with hospitalizations in some areas increasing at the fastest rate since the pandemic began.

The state accounts for one in five new infections in the United States and has recorded 67,413 cases over the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida has recorded 314 cases per 100,000 people over the past week, second only to Louisiana. The weekly total of new cases reported by Florida more than quadrupled between July 1 and July 22, reaching its highest level since mid-January.

Epidemiologists say various factors are at play: large numbers of unvaccinated people, easing of preventive measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, the spread of the highly contagious delta type of coronavirus and people gathering indoors during the hot summer months.

“All of these things together are a recipe for the data we see,” said Jason Salemi, an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida. “It is cause for concern … the speed with which the indicators are rising.”

The number of people hospitalized in Florida has risen sharply over the past month, reaching 3,849 on July 17, the most since late February, according to a dashboard set up by Dr. Salmi. Younger patients are skewed, with 53% under the age of 60, compared to 30% at the beginning of the year.

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