Florida is now considered the world’s epicenter for the coronavirus pandemic, and on Thursday the state logged a record 120 deaths, bringing the state's overall death toll to 4,111.

The previous single-day record was 113 deaths, which occurred back in May, shortly after Gov. DeSantis shifted the state to Phase 2 reopening. With today's new numbers, Florida is now averaging about 56 COVID-19 deaths daily.

As of Thursday, Florida officially added 8,935 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total to 232,718, with 4,009 deaths. The state’s positivity rate is now 18.39 percent, which is also the highest on record.

The Health Department says Florida reached a new milestone with hospitalizations as well, adding a record single-day number of 411. The previous record for hospitalizations was 400.

Locally, Orange County leads the Central Florida area with 15,595 total cases, 527 hospitalizations and 69 deaths. None of Thursday's statewide 120 deaths occurred in Orange.

As of yesterday, 52 intensive care units in Florida had reached capacity and another 17 hospitals ran out of regular beds, according to data released by the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration.

Despite the new records and the Gov. DeSantis extending the emergency executive order, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran ordered Florida schools to reopen for in-person instruction next month, and Disney World in Orlando reopened to passholders today.

This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
_
Please follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation. Every little bit helps.