Florida Sees 26.29 Percent Positivity Rate; Highest Reported

FLORIDA — On the eve of a new year, Florida is grappling with its highest percent positivity rate for the coronavirus since the pandemic began.

The Florida Department of Health reported a percent positivity rate of 22.75 percent Monday and a 26.29 percent positivity rate Tuesday, the highest percentage the state has ever had.

The DOH also noted that there were 12,075 new coronavirus cases statewide on Tuesday and 13,495 new cases on Wednesday.

The percent positivity is the number of people who test PCR (tests used to directly detect the presence of an antigen) or antigen-positive for the first time divided by everyone tested that day. It does not include people who already tested positive once and re-tested to see if they’re still infected.

Despite the bleak data, the DOH urged residents to view the statistics in perspective.

"The reported positivity rate should be interpreted with caution due to reduced hours and closures at doctor’s offices, public testing sites and laboratories for the holidays," said the DOH in a statement issued Wednesday.

"These reduced hours and closures have resulted in less people tested and delays in result processing and reporting which have impacted Florida’s daily testing number by nearly half. As we continue to experience office closures and holidays through Jan. 4, it is possible that data may continue to be impacted over the coming days," said the DOH.

According to the DOH, on Dec. 28, less than 63,000 people were tested per day. In the 10 days before Dec. 25, an average of 152,300 individuals were tested each day.

As of Wednesday, 1,306,123 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in Florida since the pandemic began.

This includes:

• Wednesday: 13,495 cases
• Tuesday: 12,075 cases
• Monday: 8,198 cases
• Sunday: 7,391 cases
• Saturday: 17,042 cases
• Friday: no report
• Thursday: 13,147 cases

Positivity rate courtesy DOH

The DOH also reported that 62,508 have been hospitalized due to the coronavirus and 21,546 Florida residents have died.

In the meantime, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state is fast-forwarding its vaccine distribution plan.

“Thanks to our state’s strong partnership with the federal government and Florida hospitals, more than 146,000 individuals have been vaccinated in Florida, including front-line health care workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities and individuals 65 and older,” said DeSantis. “This week, Florida will receive over 120,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and will distribute these doses to hospitals and county health departments that have not previously received the vaccine. As a result, all 67 Florida counties will have received doses of the vaccine by the end of the week. Florida is also receiving over 118,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to begin administering the second dose of this vaccine at the original five pilot hospitals.”

This week, Florida will receive 127,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine, 93,900 of which will be distributed to the county health departments that have not previously received doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The remaining 33,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine will be sent to 54 hospitals that had not previously received the COVID-19 vaccine. Find the full list of hospitals that have received the vaccine here.

Additionally, this week, Florida is expecting to receive 118,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which will be used to administer the second dose at the original five pilot hospitals, and long-term care facilities in Broward and Pinellas Counties that received the first dose through Florida Department of Health and Florida National Guard strike teams.

Health care leaders are commended DeSantis on his quick deployment of strike teams for vaccinations.

“Governor DeSantis has shown tremendous leadership on getting the vaccine out into our community quickly,” said Carlos A. Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System. “By having a governor who plans ahead and gives us clear direction on priorities, we have already provided the first shot to all front line staff who want the vaccine, and we are beginning to schedule appointments for Jackson patients and other Miami-Dade residents 65 and older.”

“I want to thank Gov. DeSantis for his commitment to getting the vaccine in the arms of the health care workers who have been on the front lines of COVID-19 in 2020,” said Memorial Healthcare System President and CEO Aurelio M. Fernandez III. “At Memorial, we already have vaccinated a high percentage of our hospital staff, as well as our health care partners in the community."

“Deploying the vaccine as quickly as possible to those who need it most will, most importantly, save lives, but it also grants us the hope of a world free of COVID-19," said Mark O’Bryant, president and CEO of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

For more information on coronavirus in Florida, visit the live DOH Dashboard.