A health care worker testing a patient for coronavirus on July 8 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: Octavio Jones/Getty Images
Data released by Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration on Friday shows that 6,974 people in the state are currently being treated in hospitals for the coronavirus, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Why it matters: Florida has experienced a surge in coronavirus cases over the past two weeks and has broken single-day records for new cases multiple times since the end of last month.
By the numbers: 1,578 patients have been hospitalized in Miami-Dade County, the largest number reported in the state.
- Miami-Dade is followed by Broward County at 969, Palm Beach County at 606 and Orange County with 478 hospitalizations.
Of note: The data, which the state promised to release two weeks ago, does not distinguish between patients occupying general hospital beds and intensive care units.
- Hospitals around the state have recently met their ICU bed capacity or are close to doing so, CBS News reports.
The big picture: Florida reported 120 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday, its highest single-day toll since the start of the pandemic.
- Though deaths from COVID-19 are trending downward nationally, they are increasing in Florida, Texas and Arizona, Axios' Caitlin Owens reports.
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