Florida reports 7,000 new COVID-19 cases with 5.54% positivity rate

ORLANDO, Fla. – Five hundred seniors received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at an Orlando church Sunday.

One by one cars pulled into Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church for the vaccination drive.

State representatives Geraldine Thompson and Travaris McCurdy teamed up with the Florida Department of Emergency Management to hold the event.

“In order to achieve community-level immunity during this pandemic we have to make sure every zip code, every community has access to the vaccine,” Thompson said.

The lawmakers said 500 people ages 65 and older signed up to get the shots. They said the appointments filled quickly.

McCurdy said it is important to bring the shots into the community.

Click or tap here to read more about the Orlando vaccination event.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida reports 14,000 new COVID-19 cases as state deals with new variant of virus]

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on Jan. 31

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 7,695 new cases on Sunday bringing the state’s overall total to 1,721,377 cases since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.

Deaths

Florida reported 120 new virus-related deaths Sunday, raising the death toll to 26,915. This number includes the 436 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Sunday afternoon, there were currently 6,101 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March, 72,294 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 159 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Sunday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 5.54% on Saturday. 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 Sunday, 1,993,472 people have been vaccinated in Florida. The FDOH also reports that 314,528 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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