State reports 1,602 new COVID-19 cases as Florida hits vaccine milestone

ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 10 million people in Florida have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report released Sunday by the state Department of Health.

The report showed that 7,965,477 people who had received shots — or nearly 80% of the 10,005,987 total — were considered fully vaccinated, as they had received two doses of vaccines produced by the drug companies Pfizer or Moderna or the one-dose vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.

While that milestone is significant, that still leaves more than half of the state’s nearly 22 million residents who still have not been vaccinated.

As more people get the vaccine, Puerto Rico is easing its restrictions on domestic travelers. Starting Monday, fully vaccinated travelers arriving on domestic flights will no longer need to provide a negative PCR molecular COVID-19 test result, according to Discover Puerto Rico, the island’s destination marketing organization. Instead, those travelers will be allowed to show their vaccination card along with their ID.

Discover Puerto Rico’s website states that all travelers will still have to submit a Travel Declaration Form prior to arrival on the island.

Click here for Puerto Rico’s complete COVID-19 guidelines for travelers.

At the same time, at least one cruise line has announced its return to sailing from a U.S. port. Norwegian Cruise Line on Monday announced that it expects to resume cruise operations from the United States beginning Aug. 7, with week-long voyages from Seattle to Alaska.

The cruise line, headquartered in Miami, said travelers will be able to recommence their cruise adventures to Alaska with week-long voyages aboard the Norwegian Bliss.

It’s not known when cruise ships will start sailing from Florida.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Florida reports 2,054 new COVID-19 cases as US overall sees low levels of cases]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on May 24.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 1,602 new cases on Monday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,311,941 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 28 new virus-related deaths Monday, bringing the death toll to 37,235. This number included the 734 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Monday afternoon, there were currently 2,125 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 2020, 94,176 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 53 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Monday

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 3.75% Monday out of 42,694 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.

The positivity rate has remained below 5% for over 10 days in Florida.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December 2020 on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 7,995,844 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 Monday, 10,035,446 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 Monday.

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