47,709 new COVID-19 cases reported in Florida

Florida – On Monday Florida reported more than 47,000 new COVID-19 cases, as hospitalizations in the state continued to climb past 11,000.

The 47,709 new cases pushed the state’s total to 4,806,782 since the pandemic began, according to the new figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Florida’s 7-day moving average for cases has reached record-setting levels the past two weeks, surpassing 64,500. That average had been below 1,300 as recently as November.

The state set a daily record for cases on Friday, with 76,887.

Despite the rise in cases, Monday’s total is actually below the previous Monday’s total of 59,346.

The dramatic rise in cases has been attributed to the fast-spreading omicron variant of the virus, as well as a large increase in people seeking testing.

New case positivity in the state has risen to 31.2%, according to the weekly report released Friday by the Florida Department of Health. The positivity rate had dropped to 2.1% as recently as mid-November.

Hospitalizations in the state continued to rise Monday, with 11,078 inpatient beds in use for COVID-19, accounting for about 19.96% of the state’s total based on 236 hospitals reporting, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That number was 9,888 over the weekend.

Another 1,382 intensive care unit beds were in use for COVID-19 Monday, about 21.69% of the state’s total based on 242 hospitals reporting, according to HHS.

Hospitalizations remain well below this past summer’s delta surge when they peaked at more than 17,100.

Florida’s coronavirus-related death toll reached 62,813 on Monday. The state’s 7-day moving average for deaths has remained around 20 dating back to mid-November. Deaths can take days or weeks to report while they’re confirmed.