Florida reports 23,903 new COVID-19 cases, 93 deaths, 13,348 hospitalizations Saturday

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TAMPA, Fla. - As cases of the novel coronavirus increase daily in Florida, state agencies and independent organizations have again started reporting daily case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths in an effort to inform the public on the risk of catching the disease and becoming seriously ill.

On Saturday, according to the Centers for Disease Control, Florida reported 23,903 new cases of COVID-19 for the previous day, Friday, August 6, bringing the state's total number of cases to 2,725,450. The Florida Hospital Association reported that 13,348 patients were hospitalized as of Saturday, which is also a record high for the state.

Florida also reported an additional 93 people have died due to the virus, bringing the state's total COVID-19 deaths to 39,695, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Florida has been hit hard in recent weeks by a surge caused by the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant has particularly posed a threat to people who are unvaccinated.

A Florida Hospital Association poll of hospitals indicated 60% expect to have staffing shortages in the next week. Additionally, 23% reported that they will have to expand their patient care areas in the next week into parts of their facilities not currently used for care.

Hospitals across the state have been forced to cancel non-emergency surgical procedures, and some facilities have limited visitation as the numbers of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have increased.

SOURCE: Florida Hospital Association

The state of Florida stopped reporting daily COVID-19 statistics in June at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Florida Department of Health now issues updates once a week, on Fridays. The FHA and CDC continue to publish data on a daily basis, however.

There remains no source of recovered COVID-19 patient data, or reliable statewide information on breakthrough cases.

Editor's note: The number of new cases and deaths reported each day does not necessarily reflect the day that the case was confirmed. Stats for today and previous days will likely change in the future as the state reviews more cases and updates retroactive data.

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