As people begin to crowd the beaches and pack the theme parks, coronavirus cases in Florida continue their trend of staying below 5,000. However, health officials fear that trend may soon be lost.
The state of Florida reported 2,564 new coronavirus cases Sunday. The new cases bring the state’s overall total to 646,431 since March.
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The state reported 112 new hospitalized patients on Sunday, bringing the number of people who stayed in hospitals due to the virus since March to 40,024.
According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, there were 3,163 people receiving care primarily for coronavirus at hospitals across Florida on Sunday.
The positivity rate -- the percent of people who tested positive for the first time compared to the overall tests for the day was 5.06% as of Sunday’s report.
Infectious disease experts say the rate should remain below 10% for at least two weeks to show a decline in infections. Florida’s rate of infection has remained below 10% since Aug. 12.
Florida’s death toll from COVID-19 stands at 12,001 and includes 152 non-residents and 11,849 Florida residents.
Virus-related deaths are often delayed in reporting, which means those individuals likely died within the past two weeks.
Over 180,000 people have died in the U.S. after complications from COVID-19.
The fear health officials have is that the number of deaths could accelerate if the population lets its guard down during the Labor Day holiday.
“Just try and do outdoor activities,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview with CNN. “If you’re going to do it socially with other people, don’t make it a large crowd.”
Health officials closer to home are also warning that Labor Day could be a repeat of past holidays.
“Please, please do not make the same mistakes we all made on Memorial Day weekend. Wear your masks, watch your distance and wash your hands and we will continue to decrease this and put it under control,” Dr. Raul Pino, of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County said.
[READ NEXT: Disney, Universal hit ‘limited capacity’ Saturday during Labor Day weekend]
Below is a breakdown of COVID-19 cases in the Central Florida region:
| County | Total Cases | New Cases | Total Hospitalizations | New Hospitalizations | Total Deaths | New Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 7,633 | 35 | 690 | 1 | 235 | 1 |
| Flagler | 1,412 | 19 | 111 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Lake | 6,787 | 33 | 460 | 0 | 129 | 0 |
| Marion | 8,859 | 65 | 819 | 5 | 218 | 6 |
| Orange | 37,074 | 108 | 1,143 | 9 | 387 | 0 |
| Osceola | 11,517 | 45 | 569 | 4 | 133 | 0 |
| Polk | 17,799 | 106 | 1,907 | 4 | 468 | 0 |
| Seminole | 8,361 | 36 | 594 | 4 | 182 | 3 |
| Sumter | 2,042 | 21 | 220 | 1 | 55 | 0 |
| Volusia | 9,772 | 37 | 721 | 1 | 197 | 1 |
Editor’s note: The numbers and data referenced in this story are publicly available on the Florida Department of Health website here and on the AHCA dashboard here.
Here are a couple things to know about coronavirus in Central Florida and across the U.S. for Sunday:
- Theme parks hit capacity: Disney’s online Park Pass reservation system, as well as Universal Orlando’s online ticket system, revealed that all parks at both properties hit limited capacity Saturday. It appears to be the first time both Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World hit limited capacity at all their parks on the same day since the pandemic began. However, it is not clear how many people each park currently allows. To find out what capacity could be inside the parks, click or tap here.
- Orange County worksites test positive: By the end of the school week on Friday, Orange County has issued 373 quarantine letters to specific students and/or staff at 27 schools across the district, according to a statement from the district. Based on the names of schools with cases released by OCPS last week and on Tuesday, some campuses have multiple COVID-19 cases. There are now 50 schools and worksites, including food and transportation services, with cases. The school district has more than 200 schools, according to its website. To read more, click or tap here.
- SeaWorld terminates furloughed employees: According to a report, SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. has “committed to a plan of termination, primarily impacting some of the company’s currently furloughed employees.” Earlier this year, the coronavirus pandemic closed theme parks, including SeaWorld’s, which caused the company to furlough 90% of its employees, in a move the new filing suggests the company believed would be temporary. The company’s parks have reopened with limited capacity but the financial impacts from the ongoing pandemic are greater than SeaWorld officials initially anticipated, the document suggests.