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Florida surpasses 800,000 coronavirus cases Friday

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Florida surpassed 800,000 total coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.

On Friday the state logged 5,592 additional infections, according to the Florida Department of Health. Since the first diagnosed case in March, 800,216 coronavirus infections have been recorded. More than 100,000 tests were processed on Thursday.

The weekly case average increased to 4,062 infections announced per day. This is the first time it has reached more than 4,000 since Aug. 21 during a summer surge of COVID-19 cases.

Florida also added 73 coronavirus deaths Friday, bringing the overall death toll to 16,927 people. The weekly death average dipped slightly to about 54 people announced dead per day.

Hospitalizations: About 2,330 people across Florida are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of coronavirus, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration. About 480 of those are in the Tampa Bay area.

About 22 percent of hospital beds and 24 percent of intensive care unit beds were available statewide. In Tampa Bay, about 21 percent of hospital beds and 22 percent of ICU beds were available.

Cases that resulted in a hospitalization increased by 178 admissions.

Positivity: Florida’s average weekly positivity rate is about 5 percent, according to both the Florida Department of Health and Johns Hopkins University.

The university changed how they measured Florida’s positivity this week. Before, the group would count an individual’s first coronavirus test only. Now the metric reflects the volume of retests.

If positivity is too high it can indicate there isn’t widespread testing and that mild cases of the virus are undetected. The World Health Organization set a recommendation for a 5 percent positivity rate or below.

Local numbers: Tampa Bay added 1,043 coronavirus cases and 31 deaths Friday.

Hillsborough County recorded 22 deaths, Polk recorded five, Pinellas had two and both Pasco and Citrus counties had one death each.

Hillsborough leads the area with the highest average weekly positivity rate at about 6 percent, followed by Polk, Pinellas and Citrus at 5 percent and Hernando and Pasco at 4 percent.

As of the latest counts, Hillsborough has 48,148 cases and 825 deaths; Pinellas has 25,921 cases and 825 deaths; Polk has 23,088 cases and 622 deaths; Manatee has 13,403 cases and 332 deaths; Pasco has 10,923 cases and 245 deaths; Hernando has 2,757 cases and 174 deaths; and Citrus has 3,260 cases and 136 deaths.

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U.S. surpasses 9M Covid cases

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The U.S. coronavirus case count passed 9 million on Friday with the disease surging across the northern tier of the country and public health officials urging tough new steps to promote use of masks and social distancing.



a man standing next to a car: Members of the Wisconsin National Guard operate a mobile Covid-19 test center on the grounds of Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis.

© Scott Olson/Getty Images
Members of the Wisconsin National Guard operate a mobile Covid-19 test center on the grounds of Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis.

The milestone, based on a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University, is the latest in a pandemic that’s claimed more than 228,000 lives in the U.S. and comes only two weeks after the country recorded 8 million cases.

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White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx told governors on a call Friday that a third of the country, or 1,200 counties, meets the definition of a “hot spot” — and that the virus is spreading across Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Connecticut, according to notes of the call obtained by POLITICO. Birx has not yet seen an improvement in hard-hit Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, she told the governors.

The U.S. is currently reporting a daily average of more than 70,000 cases — more than any other time during the pandemic — and on Thursday the country set a new record of over 88,000 cases in a single day. Hospitalizations have also increased to more than 46,000, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

Video: The United States is seeing a big spike in coronavirus cases (CNBC)

The United States is seeing a big spike in coronavirus cases

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Cold weather is forcing people indoors where the virus can spread easier. Birx told the governors that reaching a plateau will take “every single person in your states moving forward with” masking, hygiene, distancing and reducing the size of gatherings in public, according to notes of the call.

The pandemic is rebounding in Europe as well, with countries including Germany and France imposing new restrictions. Global cases are nearing 45 million, with India and Brazil following the United States. The U.S. continues to outpace all other countries in Covid-19 deaths.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and members of his administration continue to downplay the virus threat. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, falsely claimed on Thursday that the number of Americans dying from the coronavirus amounts to “almost nothing.” President Trump spoke at an outdoor rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday as the state recorded a record number of new cases and deaths. He returned for a rally in Green Bay on Friday.

Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.

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Region 2 Surpasses 8% Positivity Threshold

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KENDALL COUNTY, IL — As cases and hospitalizations keep rising across the state, the Restore Illinois region, to which Kendall County belongs, has crossed the 8 percent threshold for its coronavirus positivity rate. As of Friday, Region 2 has a positivity of 8.5 percent, according to data reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The region is seeing a positivity increase for six consecutive days. Hospitalizations have also increased over the past 10-day period.

Region 2 is one of the two regions in the state that is currently not under added mitigations. During a press conference Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that Region 2 is doing better than all the others in the state. Although better, its numbers are “nothing to write home about” and the region is also seeing a slight uptick in hospitalizations after levelling off in August and September, he said.

Any region that sustains an 8 percent positivity rate for three days in a row or sees an increase in positivity rates and simultaneous decrease in hospital capacity will need to implement additional community mitigation interventions, the IDPH website states.

Other than three days with average coronavirus positivity rates above 8 percent, restrictions can also be triggered by a combination of seven days out of the past 10 with increasing positivity rates — plus either a decline in hospital bed capacity below 20 percent or an increase for seven of the last 10 days in the rounded average number of new hospital admissions with “COVID-like illness.”

Those measures could include restricting the size of social gatherings, reducing capacity at businesses or scaling back operations in industries that pose a higher risk of transmission, like indoor dining, bars, salons and personal care services.

The region has currently utilized 62 percent of its ICUs and 17 percent of its ventilators, according to IDPH data.

Positivity rate in Kendall County has also spiked and is at 9.3 percent as of Friday. This is a substantial increase from 6.5 percent two weeks prior. The county is also at a warning level for the number of new cases per 100,000 people. There are 179 new cases and the target is 50 or less.

As of Thursday, the Kendall County Health Department reports a total of 2,832 cases with 2,177 in recovery and 28 deaths. No new deaths have been reported in two weeks.

This article originally appeared on the Oswego Patch

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Daily coronavirus caseload surpasses 2,000 in D.C. region again, as infection rates continue to rise

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A national spike in coronavirus infections continued to make its presence felt Thursday in the greater Washington region, which recorded its ninth-highest number of new cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

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The 2,492 new infections in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. lifted the seven-day rolling average of daily cases above 2,000 for the first time since early August. Local leaders say the spike is halting any possibility of lifting more pandemic-related restrictions anytime soon.

The seven-day average of new infections across the region stands at 2,003 cases, the highest since it reached 2,007 cases Aug. 8. It comes as each jurisdiction has seen a rise in infections this month that health experts attribute to colder weather, family gatherings and pandemic fatigue.

In Maryland, Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) said Thursday that the county will stay in the second phase of reopening, citing an uptick in the number of new cases and increases in the county’s test positivity and infection rates.

The suburb, which has reported the most coronavirus cases in Maryland, reported 852 new infections from Oct. 18 to Oct. 24 — the most in a week since the beginning of August, Alsobrooks said.

[D.C. region hits 11-week high in coronavirus infections but avoids spikes seen elsewhere]

The county’s weekly test positivity rate ticked up from 3.9 percent a week earlier to 4.3 percent last week, while the rate of infection — measuring the number of people, on average, infected by someone with the virus — ticked up to 1.07.

“These increases are not unique to us,” she said. “We will continue to do everything we can to keep Prince Georgians safe.”

Alsobrooks urged residents not to let their guard down during the holiday season and to avoid large gatherings at Halloween — including trick-or-treating — and Thanksgiving, warning that contact tracing has found that many new cases originate from family gatherings.

“This is a holiday season like no other,” she said. “These large holiday gatherings with people outside your household are just dangerous.”

County Health Officer Ernest L. Carter said he is concerned about the numbers, adding that officials are “bracing” for another potential spike in cases.

Maryland’s seven-day average of new infections Thursday jumped to 773 cases — the state’s highest since Aug. 7 — while the 962 new cases was the most in a single day since Aug. 1. D.C.’s average rose to 76 new cases — the highest since Aug. 14 — while the 101 new cases was the most in a day since Oct. 6.

[D.C. region’s coronavirus caseload hits two-month high; officials say small gatherings are fueling rise]

Virginia’s daily average Thursday approached a record.

The state’s seven-day average stood at 1,154 cases, which is 44 cases short of a record set Aug. 8. The 1,429 new cases reported Thursday was the sixth-highest in a single day in Virginia since the start of the pandemic.

More than 30 percent of Virginia’s cases in recent days

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California surpasses 900,000 coronavirus cases; L.A. County approaches 300,000

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The number of California’s confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 900,000 on Saturday, with total related deaths topping more than 17,300, public health officials reported.



a group of police officers riding on the back of a truck: Cars line up at a COVID-19 test site at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 12. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

© (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Cars line up at a COVID-19 test site at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 12. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Across the state’s 58 counties, Los Angeles County remains by far the hardest hit, with nearly 300,000 cases and 6,989 deaths. On Saturday, the L.A. County Department of Public Health confirmed 2,173 new cases and 17 new deaths.

“As we move closer to the tragic milestone of 7,000 deaths in L.A. County and are seeing an increase in cases, please remember the choices we each make every day have a significant impact on whether we slow the spread of the virus,” public heath director Barbara Ferrer said in a press release. “The virus doesn’t take a break for parties or celebrations.”

Of the 17 new deaths reported in L.A. County, the department said 16 were over the age of 50 and most had underlying health conditions. The one under-50 fatality also had underlying health problems, the department said. The department said 29% of the 770 people now hospitalized with COVID-19 are being treated in intensive care units.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases reached 901,152 on Saturday, with a total of 17,323 related deaths, according to state health officials. But the number of new cases statewide has plateaued and remains near levels seen in the spring, officials said.

The novel virus is considered widespread in 12 counties that together comprise 42% of California’s population. Other hard-hit counties include: Riverside, with 65,757 cases and 1,279 deaths; San Bernardino with 62,353 cases and more than 1,000 deaths; Orange with 58,326 cases and 1,444 deaths; San Diego with nearly 54,000 cases and 867 deaths; Kern with nearly 34,000 cases and 416 deaths; Fresno with 30,590 case and 436 deaths; Sacramento with 25,264 cases and 484 deaths.

In the spring and summer, the state saw a surge in cases following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to rapidly lift shutdown restrictions, prompting another shutdown. In late August, the governor introduced what he called “more stubborn” reopening rules, with a data-based four-tier system — Tier 1 indicated widespread transmission, while Tier 4 meant minimal transmission. The plan hinged on counties demonstrating success in slowing the virus before business and group activities were allowed to resume.

Health experts have credited the tiered system with allowing California to open some segments of its economy without experiencing a spike in deaths comparable to that seen earlier this year. California has managed to avoid what health officials call a nationwide “third wave” of infections, but they worry about the temptations of social gatherings amid the approach of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The nationwide death toll of COVID-19 is now more than 223,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has claimed the most lives in New York state, which has seen more than 33,000 fatal infections.

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U.S. Surpasses 8 Million Coronavirus Cases, Dr. Fauci Warns of High Infection Rates Going into Winter

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Emmanuele Ciancaglini/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The United States officially surpassed 8 million coronavirus cases as of Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

More than 218,000 people in the country have now died due to the virus, and cases are continuing to rise in nearly every state.

There were 70,451 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, the highest daily case count since July, The New York Times’ COVID-19 database shows. The Midwest has been particularly hard hit in recent months, but the latest wave has spared no region of the U.S.

Areas that have remained relatively stable since the initial wave of virus infections in the spring, including the Northeast and Pacific Northwest, are now also seeing increasing numbers.

Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock Dr. Anthony Fauci

RELATED: Midwestern Hospitals Are ‘Bursting at the Seams’ with COVID Patients as Cases Continue to Soar

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that infection rates across the country are too high as we head into the colder fall and winter months.

“You can’t enter into the cool months of the fall and the cold months of the winter with a high community infection baseline,” Fauci said in a John Hopkins virtual event on Friday, according to CNN.

Earlier in the week, Fauci similarly said the rise in cases is “not a good sign as you’re entering into the colder weather,” advising Americans to consider canceling family gatherings for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays.

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RELATED: Fauci Says Americans Should Consider Canceling Thanksgiving as COVID Cases Soar

“That is, unfortunately, a risk, when you have people coming from out of town, gathering together in an indoor setting,” he told host Norah O’Donnell on CBS Evening News Wednesday night. “It is unfortunate, because that’s such a sacred part of American tradition — the family gathering around Thanksgiving. But that is a risk.”

Fauci continued, “Given the fluid and dynamic nature of what’s going on right now in the spread and the uptick of infections, I think people should be very careful and prudent about social gatherings, particularly when members of the family might be at a risk because of their age or their underlying condition. You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering, unless you’re pretty certain that the people that you’re dealing with are not infected.”

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for

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