Florida reports 6,817 new COVID-19 cases as CDC says recent spike could be linked to variants

ORLANDO, Fla. – Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an update this week on the U.S. seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, saying it could be because more variants are spreading. In Florida, there have been nearly 3,500 COVID-19 variant cases confirmed.

Eligible Orange County residents who cannot easily receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a county site will soon be able to receive one in their homes.

Starting Sunday, a new program will bring homebound Orange County residents free vaccines to those at least 18 years old. Pre-registration is required to receive a call that will schedule an in-home appointment. Click here to register or for more information.

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The Orange County Department of Health is also offering a mobile vaccination clinic Monday that will run through Friday at Barber Park on Gatlin Avenue.

There will be limited walk-ups for the clinic from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., though the window could be shortened if crews administer the daily allotment of vaccines. For more information on this mobile vaccination clinic, click here.

In this week’s Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast, a pediatrician weighed in on vaccine safety when it comes to kids. Many parents have no qualms about getting a vaccine themselves, but say they aren’t as eager to sign their kids up for something that hasn’t been around very long. Right now, the only vaccine approved for kids younger than 18 is the one made by Pfizer.

Some stores are offering to laminate vaccination cards for free as people continue to get vaccinated but, according to CBS News, some health officials are warning you might want to think twice before doing that. Click here to find out why.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 7,011 new COVID-19 cases as 44% of Orange County infections stem from young adults, teens]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on April 10.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 6,817 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,118,713 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 50 new virus-related deaths Saturday bringing the death toll to 34,676. This number includes the 662 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Saturday afternoon, there were currently 3,016 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since last March, 86,894 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 188 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Saturday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 6.94% Friday out of 98,229 tests. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. 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 began releasing a daily report in December on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 4,320,977 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Saturday, 7,103,884 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Below is the Central Florida region breakdown of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations for Saturday.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.