Florida reports 1,758 new COVID-19 cases as state enters second week of phase 2 reopening

State reports 7 new deaths

ORLANDO, Fla. – As Florida entered its second week under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ phase two of reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state continued to report large increases of new COVID-19 cases.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Health reported 1,758 new cases of COVID-19 since approximately the same time the day before, as well as 7 new deaths.

These new statistics bring the total number of coronavirus cases reported in Florida -- since it was first detected in the state on March 1 -- to 77,326, along with 2,938 deaths.

On Saturday, state health officials reported about 2,500 new cases of COVID-19, setting a record for the highest number of newly reported cases in a single day.

While the new numbers remain high, these positive results are likely stemming from infections up to two weeks previous, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that the coronavirus has an incubation period of two to 14 days before symptoms become apparent, if at all.

Some individuals may never experience any symptoms of COVID-19 but may still be positive for the disease, which can lead to asymptomatic spread.

Since March, 12,015 people have required hospitalization due to severe cases of COVID-19.

The state does not report the number of current patients in hospitals with the coronavirus, but rather the overall total, or the number of individuals who have recovered from the disease after being diagnosed.

The newly reported cases also depend on the number of tests administered per day but the state doesn’t release private lab testing in its overall total so that percentage is difficult to determine.

If you are having trouble viewing the dashboard on mobile, click here.

Here’s how coronavirus cases break down by Central Florida county:

CountyCasesDeathsHospitalizations
Brevard5651579
Flagler207526
Lake4821685
Marion315843
Orange3,28246407
Osceola84821167
Polk1,50975382
Seminole79013128
Sumter2671745
Volusia94648176

On Friday, officials with the FDOH said they would begin releasing weekly reports regarding confirmed pediatric cases of COVID-19 in the state, as well as confirmed cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The first report was made available the same day.

According to the report by the FDOH, 3,407 juveniles under the age of 18 have tested positive for COVID-19 since it was detected in the state up until Friday. The state reported it had tested a total of 37,211 juveniles in all.

Of those juveniles tested, 103 were hospitalized for severe cases of the respiratory illness. FDOH officials noted that “hospitalization counts include anyone who was hospitalized at some point during their illness. It does not reflect the number of people currently hospitalized.”

The state reported that no children have died as a result or COVID-19.

The report on pediatric cases comes just a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he wants schools to reopen for in-person instruction for fall of 2020.

[READ MORE: Governor introduces plan to reopen Florida schools]

“We want schools fully open in the fall because there is no better way to educate our kids than have that great teacher in front of that child,” Corcoran said. “We also know that they are not at a low risk, they are at an extremely low risk, not only of contracting (COVID-19), but even spreading it. And so we’re saying, ‘Open up the schools. Let’s get the best educational environment. Let’s keep everybody safe in our educational community and now attack like no other state has before the achievement gap.”

[Trust Index: Are children at ‘extremely low risk’ for coronavirus?]

Dr. Lindsay Thompson, professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine, said it has not been proven children are at a lower risk for susceptibility of the disease but preliminary evidence suggests they are.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites, “information about COVID-19 in children is somewhat limited, but current data suggest children with COVID-19 may have only mild symptoms. However, they can still pass this virus onto others who may be at higher risk, including older adults and people who have serious underlying medical conditions.”

News 6 broke down the pediatric case reports from the FDOH. You can find a full summary of the report by clicking here.


Orange County residents got another chance to file for CARES Act benefits Monday morning after an underwhelming debut of the application portal the week prior.

At 8 a.m., residents were able to apply for funding through the CARES Act portal, and the program allowed 25,000 individuals into that portal before it is closed for application processing.

The funding would help residents pay for rent or other bills due to financial hardship caused by the coronavirus.

The portal was closed as of 9:13 a.m., just 73 minutes after the portal opened to residents.

Orange County officials said in a tweet that the portal would reopen in the future to accept more applications, but a date for a fourth round of applicants was not given.

The CARES Act grant port opened to a rough start last week causing the county to shut it down one minute after it was schedule to go live on the first day and it remained open for 90 minutes on the second day due to an overwhelming response.

[READ MORE: Orange County opens third round of CARES Act grant applications for individuals, families]

The grant money is highly sought after due to the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Since March, more than 2.2 million people have filed for unemployment in Florida alone.

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter or go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.


About the Author:

Erin began her career at News 6 as an assignment editor, then became a show producer. She is now a digital storyteller as part of the Click Orlando team.

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