(WSVN) - There are now more than 470,000 reported cases of the coronavirus in Florida, with 6,843 deaths.
As of 11 a.m., Friday, the Florida Department of Health has reported 470,386 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, an increase of 9,007 from Thursday’s update.
“One goal, one Florida, please follow our state guidelines,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a public service announcement. “COVID-19 has been a significant challenge for our state, our families, our businesses.”
The state reported a single-day increase of 257 deaths, which is the highest amount reported by the FDOH since the start of the pandemic. The previous record was Thursday’s report of 253 deaths.
There are now 118,462 confirmed cases in Miami-Dade and 55,411 cases in Broward. The total number of cases in Palm Beach County has now reached 33,274, and 1,300 cases have been reported in Monroe County.
Health officials also reported 26,533 hospital admissions statewide. Nearly 20% of all hospital beds are available in Miami-Dade County, and less than 9% of intensive care unit beds remain available.
Although 8.7% of ICU beds in Broward are available, just under 17% of total capacity is available.
“We like some of the trends that we are seeing,” DeSantis said during a news conference. “If you look at the emergency department visits for COVID-like illness, those have been declining since early July. If you look at the hospitalization trends for hospital admissions, those have been declining.”
Meanwhile, all state-run COVID-19 testing sites, such as at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, will be closed because of Hurricane Isaias. However, officials said they should reopen by Wednesday at the latest.
“These testing sites are outdoors,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said. “They have tents. They cause a lot of damage. It’s not going to be safe if you have some tropical storm force winds. We will try to get those test sites up and running again as soon as the all clear is given and get our residents back to testing.”
Miami-Dade officials said the testing sites could reopen as early as Monday depending on what occurs with Hurricane Isaias.
Broward officials said they are aiming to reopen testing sites on Tuesday.
For a full breakdown of the cases in Florida, click here.
Anyone with questions and concerns about the coronavirus can call the Florida Department of Health’s 24-hour hotline at 1-866-779-6121.
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