Nearly 60K new COVID cases, 3 deaths reported in Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – According to Friday’s data posted by the CDC, Florida reported 59,061 new COVID-19 infections Thursday.

The state has now verified at least 4,992,579 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, though that total doesn’t include at-home tests not reported to health officials.

Three more COVID-related deaths were also added in the latest metrics, raising the state’s death toll to 63,084.

More than 11,000 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state on Thursday, according to the Florida Hospital Association.

Because of the strain on local hospitals, the Jackson Health System is asking the public for financial donations.

“Nearly two years into this pandemic, we are stretching our already exhausted resources even more and we need your help,” Flavia Llizo, co-president and chief development officer of the Jackson Health Foundation, said in an email Thursday. “Our costs continue to rise on virtually everything: overtime, extra-shift bonuses, agency nurses, supplies, and shipping. We are used to being nimble with our dollars, but we will never compromise care to our patients, even as these additional costs strain the organization.”

According to infectious disease experts, it may not be long until the downturn of this omicron variant spike, though one expert predicts that about 80% of Floridians will have contracted COVID-19 by the end of this surge.

Florida’s full weekly COVID-19 metrics report is expected to be posted later Friday.

The state reported a record 397,114 new COVID-19 cases for the week of Dec. 31 through Jan. 6, an average of more than 56,000 per day.