Florida reports 12,000 new cases of COVID-19 as more Floridians wait for vaccine

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health on Wednesday changed the way it shows how many residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Previously, the daily report included figures showing how many people were overdue for their second dose. Now, that information has been removed.

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Other information documented in the report includes a breakdown of age, race, ethnicity and gender of everyone who has been inoculated, as well as the number of shots administered each day.

Florida Department of Health interim communications director Jason Mahon said the change was made according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

“Reports previously included a number of individuals ‘overdue’ for vaccination. This number is being removed to align with CDC reporting, which only includes information on first dose and series complete (first and second dose),” Mahon wrote in an email.

To read more on why officials changed the way data is reported, click or tap here.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Joe Biden becomes 46th U.S. president as Florida reports 11,615 new coronavirus cases]

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Jan. 21.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 12,683 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total to 1,613,884 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

Deaths

Florida reported 163 new virus-related deaths Thursday, raising the death toll to 25,128. This number includes the 389 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Thursday afternoon, there were currently 7,026 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March, 69,282 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 350 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Thursday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 8.54 Wednesday, the lowest it’s been since 2021 began.

Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health recently began releasing a daily report on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

As of Thursday, 1,306,983 people have been vaccinated in Florida. The FDOH also reports that 111,188 people have received their second shot.

[Register for the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida here]

See COVID-19 data for the Central Florida region below:

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