Florida’s New Virus Cases Slow After Daily Infections Hit Record

(Bloomberg) -- Florida’s Covid-19 cases eased on Friday after rising to a record the day before, which prompted the state’s largest county to impose a curfew.

The number of new cases reported rose by 9,488, or 5.6%, to 178,594, compared with an average 5.8% in the previous seven days. The Sunshine State reported a record 10,109 cases on Thursday. Deaths reached 3,684, an increase of 67 that matched the total from the previous day, according to the release, which includes data through Thursday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has consistently ruled out the need to reimpose a lockdown, but hospitals and local officials officials are taking note of the rising trend in cases.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez imposed a 10 p.m. curfew on Thursday and closed entertainment venues in the state’s most populous county amid a surge in Covid-19 patients in the area’s intensive-care units and hospitals. A day earlier, the Republican mayor said he will start requiring masks in all public spaces, while neighboring Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale, also expanded its mask order and added restrictions on restaurants.

Jackson Health System, which operates one of Florida’s biggest hospitals, said it will limit inpatient surgeries and procedures to emergency and urgent cases starting Monday.

Cumulative hospitalizations rose by 341, or 2.3%, to 15,491, increasing at a faster pace from the day before. The median age of patients remained at 37 for a second day.

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