ORLANDO, Fla. – State health data shows Florida has seen a positivity rate under 5% for over 10 days, leading Orange County health officials to remain optimistic for new guidance on masks and social distancing.
A few weeks ago, the county announced a three-phased plan for rolling back its guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently updated its guidelines regarding mask use for fully vaccinated people.
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Demings said the county is close to reaching a 14-day rolling positivity rate of less than 5%, which is a when phase 3 of the county’s roll-back plan would become effective. Dr. Raul Pino, of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, said this week could be the first week the rate ends up below 5%.
“Everything has been below 5% for the last few days, so the week should behave the same way,” he said. “So more likely, either next week or the week after, we’ll probably reach the milestone of two consecutive weeks at less than 5% — if nothing changes in the dynamics.”
On top of this, Orlando is anticipating an increase in summer travel, with Orlando International Airport anticipating the return of international travel. This prediction comes as the European Union relaxed travel rules for tourists outside the 27-nation bloc to allow in fully vaccinated visitors, according to the Associated Press.
European countries relying on tourism took a hit when nonessential travel was restricted to get the virus under control. In Florida, the state is fighting against the CDC to allow cruises to restart in the U.S. District Court Judge Steven D. Merryday on Tuesday signed an order saying the state and U.S. government must participate in the mediation prior to June 1.
The CDC last month added new guidelines for cruise lines, saying ships must make test voyages, implement routine coronavirus testing and develop a strategy to vaccinate crews. Travel guidelines were also adjusted to add that vaccinated individuals can travel domestically and internationally.
News 6 is also giving viewers another chance to get their COVID-19 vaccine questions answered by doctors and medical professionals during a phone bank Friday afternoon. The lines will open at 4 p.m. and calls will be answered through 7:30 p.m. Click here to learn more.
[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida sees 2,856 new COVID-19 cases as state reports 20,000 young teens vaccinated]
Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:
Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on May 20.
Cases
The Florida Department of Health reported 2,881 new cases on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,302,489 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.
Deaths
Florida reported 77 new virus-related deaths Thursday, bringing the death toll to 37,076. This number included the 729 non-residents who died in Florida.
Hospitalizations
As of Thursday afternoon, there were currently 2,262 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
Since March 2020, 93,815 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 217 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 3.92% Wednesday out of 73,581 tests. This is the first time the positivity rate has been under 4% since Oct. 23, 2020.
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 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.
FDOH reports 7,792,426 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 Thursday, 9,813,737 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 Thursday.
| County | Cases | New Cases | Hospitalizations | New hospitalizations | Deaths | New deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | 42,511 | 71 | 2,419 | 7 | 886 | 2 |
| Flagler | 7,419 | 6 | 408 | 0 | 110 | 0 |
| Lake | 30,535 | 67 | 1,540 | 9 | 646 | 1 |
| Marion | 31,621 | 29 | 2,202 | 3 | 978 | 3 |
| Orange | 141,233 | 177 | 2,831 | 8 | 1,289 | 1 |
| Osceola | 45,624 | 58 | 1,493 | 4 | 518 | 0 |
| Polk | 70,229 | 104 | 5,377 | 16 | 1,355 | 1 |
| Seminole | 34,886 | 63 | 1,269 | 2 | 508 | 1 |
| Sumter | 9,422 | 9 | 584 | 1 | 278 | 0 |
| Volusia | 44,294 | 101 | 2,391 | 13 | 825 | 2 |
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