St. Petersburg AP- Florida hit another grim milestone on Wednesday, adding 5,508 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest number of reported cases in a single day, according to the state’s department of health.
The health department’s latest report shows 44 people have died since Tuesday morning. The death toll stands at 3,281.
A total of 13,574 people have been hospitalized due to complications from COVID-19 with health officials reporting an additional 256 hospitalizations Wednesday.
The percent positivity for new cases—the number of people who tested positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day—also increased, according to Wednesday’s report, and is now at 15.91%. The percent of positive results ranged from 5% to 18% over the past 2 weeks and was 18% yesterday, according to the report.
The health department said 36,339 people were tested on Tuesday.
Florida is also tracking the median age of cases each day. Tuesday’s median age was 33. Tampa Bay area counties have reported an upward trend in young adults testing positive for the virus. Gov. DeSantis addressed that trend during a news conference on Tuesday.
“What we’ve seen, particularly over the last week, is a real explosion in new cases among our younger demographics,” he said. “When we started this in March, the median age of people who tested positive was – I think – 65. As the testing ramped up, that went into the 50s. But it was pretty much in the 50s for most of the time and then just recently has really plunged.”
According to the state’s report, Floridians in the 25 – 34 age range account for the largest percentage of cases. A total of 20,092 people in that age group have tested positive, 19% of the state’s total. Of those cases, 803 people have been hospitalized and 18 have died.
“The folks in that age group, unless they have a really serious underlying condition, do not suffer the same types of clinical consequences,” DeSantis said.
