Florida adds nearly 24,000 new COVID-19 cases
LAKE MARY, Fla. - Florida reported 23,933 new COVID-19 cases and 29 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, according to data posted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data, posted Friday, showed that Florida was responsible for nearly 17 percent of the newly reported cases nationwide and about 4 percent of deaths reported for the day.
A seven-day "moving" average showed Florida averaging 21,375 COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths. The total reported on Thursday came after Florida reported 24,869 cases Wednesday, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.
Florida has seen a surge in cases in recent weeks because of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.
The surge also has led to a major increase in hospitalizations. Florida hospitals reported on Friday that 15,840 patients with COVID-19 were filling inpatient hospital beds, about 27 percent of the inpatient beds being utilized, according to a website maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In all, about 85.5 percent of the inpatient hospital beds in the state were in use, according to the data, which hospitals report to the government daily.