TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The latest coronavirus update from the Florida Department of Health shows a coronavirus surge that isn’t slowing down.
The data published Friday includes cases collected from Dec. 24- 30.
Florida added 298,455 cases in that stretch, representing a 132-percent increase from the week before. That number is also a 927% increase from the case count two weeks before.
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The percent testing positive in Florida nearly doubled from last week to this week. The key figure now stands at 26-percent.
It’s a similar story in Leon County. State data shows 4,051 cases over the past seven days, a 288% increase from the week before, and more than 2000% higher than the county’s total just two weeks ago.
Roughly 22 percent of tests in Leon County were positive. Other Big Bend counties show similar data.
The chart below shows a snapshot of how the coronavirus is spreading across the area.
| COUNTY | NEW CASES (DEC. 24-30) | % POSITIVE |
|---|---|---|
| LEON | 4,051 | 22.1 |
| GADSDEN | 663 | 27.3 |
| WAKULLA | 283 | 17.9 |
| SUWANNEE | 126 | 12.3 |
| MADISON | 116 | 17.6 |
| JEFFERSON | 109 | 19.8 |
| TAYLOR | 106 | 16.3 |
| HAMILTON | 60 | 23 |
| LIBERTY | 37 | 22.7 |
| FRANKLIN | 24 | 10 |
Despite the increasing numbers, hospitalizations have not yet reached Summer 2021 levels locally.
The Florida Hospital Association reported nearly 4,500 hospitalizations across the state Friday, doubling the tally from Monday.
Three of the four major medical centers in our area reported a total of 33 hospitalizations. TMH did not respond to WCTV’s Friday request for numbers, but reported roughly a dozen patients earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, vaccinations across the state dipped during the same seven day stretch, according to the state data.
Over 326,000 doses made it into arms in that period, down from 567,000 the week before.
Nearly 900 people were vaccinated in Leon County during the same time frame. Roughly 57% of the county’s population has been vaccinated, as defined by the state data.
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