Florida surpasses 14,000 coronavirus deaths, reports more than 2,800 new cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s death toll from the pandemic surpassed 14,000 on Friday with 122 recent deaths reported by the Florida Department of Health.

The department data also showed 2,847 new cases of the coronavirus in the state as of Friday. The new cases of the respiratory illness bring the state’s total to 695,887 since the pandemic was first detected in Florida in March.

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Florida’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 14,083 deaths, including 168 non-residents who have died in the state.

Data from COVID-19 related deaths is often delayed and new deaths can take up to two weeks to report, according to health officials.

According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, as of Friday morning, there were a total of 2,137 patients hospitalized statewide with COVID-19.

The DOH reported 171 new hospitalized patients Friday, bringing the state total to 43,299 for people who have been in the hospital at some point during the last six months due to the virus.

Thursday’s report revealed the state’s daily positivity rate for the day prior was 4.29% for those who tested positive for the first time. The state’s overall positivity rate for all tests is 13.35%.

Health officials believe the daily rate should be below 10% to scale back local precautions to help stop the spread of the virus. The World Health Organization advises societies can reopen when they can keep their overall positivity rate at 5% or below.

[SEE THURSDAY’S REPORT: Florida nears 14,000 deaths, reports 2,541 coronavirus cases]

As the seasons change in most of the county, health officials are warning the public not to let their guard down.

Experts said a second wave of the coronavirus could return just in time for the beginning of flu season.

While there is still no official word that a second wave has come, more than 20 states are reporting an uptick in cases.

The rise in cases are being seen mostly across the U.S. heartland and Midwest. Across the nation, the U.S. is averaging more than 43,000 new cases per day. That number is close to double what the country was averaging back in June.

[READ MORE: Europe is battling a second wave of COVID-19. Could the US be next?]

Here are three things to know for Sept. 25.

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• DeSantis stands up for local eateries: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday said he doesn’t think the closure of restaurants has proven to be effective in reducing the spread of the coronavirus, so he said he’s going to lift capacity limits and ban local governments from putting any restrictions back in place.
• Democrats redraft coronavirus relief bill: House Democrats are going back to the drawing board on a huge COVID-19 relief bill, paring back the measure in an attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Trump administration. The Democratic-controlled chamber could also pass the $2.4 trillion measure next week if talks fall through to demonstrate that the party isn’t giving up on passing virus relief before the election.
• No punishment for partying during pandemic: Gov. Ron DeSantis thinks students who attend Florida’s 12 state universities should be able to socialize without worrying about getting thrown out of school. To that end, DeSantis said Thursday he’s willing to consider a college students' “bill of rights” that would preclude state universities from taking actions against students who are enjoying themselves. The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to questions about when he might issue the “bill of rights” or whether it would be done through an executive order.

Below is a breakdown of cases in Central Florida counties.

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