ORLANDO, Fla. – Coronavirus cases increased by the hundreds Monday for a new total of 27,058 COVID-19 patients, 4,000 hospitalizations and 823 deaths Monday evening.
Earlier in the day, there were 26,660 cases, 789 deaths and 3,842 hospitalizations. That represents an increase of 389 more patients, 34 more deaths and 158 more hospitalizations.
Miami-Dade continues to be the hardest-hit county in Florida with 9,657 total cases. Orange County, which is the worst locally, has 1,216 cases -- 12 more than Monday morning.
Here’s how the numbers break down locally:
| County | Cases | Hospitalizations | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 218 | 41 | 7 |
| Flagler | 76 | 9 | 2 |
| Lake | 211 | 54 | 7 |
| Marion | 129 | 16 | 3 |
| Orange | 1,216 | 209 | 27 |
| Osceola | 410 | 119 | 5 |
| Polk | 335 | 96 | 14 |
| Seminole | 325 | 74 | 5 |
| Sumter | 153 | 34 | 11 |
| Volusia | 342 | 61 | 10 |
Between Monday morning and Monday evening, Lake County reported one new death, Orange County reported four and Polk County reported two. Death figures for the other counties remained the same during that time period.
Health officials have not said how many people have recovered from the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus since it was first detected in Florida on March 1.
Nationwide and locally, talks have begun about what it will look like when businesses that have been shuttered due to social distancing rules slowly begin to reopen. President Donald Trump has requested that governors follow a phased approach, although it will be up to state leaders to determine the timeline.
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Regions need to see a steady two-week decline in COVID-19 patients before they can begin easing up on current restrictions.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Re-Open Florida Task Force met for the first time at Monday afternoon. Data presented during that meeting painted a bleak picture of the virus’ economic impact.
Orange County has also established a similar task force that will meet for the first time Wednesday.
The governor on Monday also released a video claiming that the state’s curve is flattening.
Health officials, including Dr. Raul Pino from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, have said it’s possible that the region already could have seen its peak in cases and deaths, although the threat from the pandemic remains far from over.
Models from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation show Florida saw its peak in deaths on April 2 with 77 deaths that day and its peak hospital resource usage on April 14.
That projection has changed multiple times during the course of the past month. Other now-outdated peak projection dates were April 21 and May 3.
The current model was last updated on Friday.
Even if Florida has seen the worst for now, Pino warns that some areas experience multiple peaks as a result of residents and leaders letting their guards down too early.
A top Orlando Health official said the hospital is ready should the region experience a second or even third peak later this year.