Florida recorded 1,317 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, its largest one-day total in six weeks, The Hill reported.
The one-day total marked the largest tally in a single day since the state’s Department of Health announced 1,413 new cases on April 17.
Florida has more than 58,000 confirmed cases overall and at least 2,566 people have died from the coronavirus in the state, including 36 new deaths announced on Wednesday.
The Tampa Bay Times pointed out that almost half of the state’s total deaths can be linked to long-term care facilities, where the population most vulnerable to coronavirus resides.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was criticized early on in the pandemic for what many considered a delayed response in closing the state’s beaches, particularly in the south, has recently started a rapid reopening process, The Hill reported.
Half of the new deaths, but less than half of the new cases, reported on Wednesday were in South Florida, according to the Miami Herald.
Health experts told the Herald that they were worried the number of pending COVID-19 tests listed by the state should actually be higher, because Florida reports only those waiting to get test results from state labs, not private ones, which are completing more than 90% of tests in Florida.
Previously, results from private labs took two weeks to be added the official totals in Florida, and it is unclear if that process has now become quicker.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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