In the midst of a major outbreak of coronavirus, the State of Florida reported 252 virus-related deaths Thursday, shattering the previous daily record of fatalities set the day before by more than 15%.
Florida will shut down coronavirus testing Thursday night as Tropical Storm Isaias approaches the peninsula. Testing will not resume until Wednesday, August 5th at the earliest.
With the state in the grip of major outbreaks with every county reporting new cases in the last few days, Florida’s reporting new cases and fatalities will be spotty in the coming days.
The storm will also add further stress to the state’s health care capacity. Florida has approximately 6,300 ICU beds, with two-thirds being occupied by non-COVID cases and the rest being used by COVID patients.