“Florida officials reported 151,415 coronavirus cases over the seven-day period from Aug. 6-12, an average of more than 21,600 infections per day. This marks the third consecutive week that the state has set a new record for weekly infections,” reports the Tampa Bay Times. The latest tally brings the total number of cases up to 2,877,214 since the pandemic’s first two cases in Florida were reported 17 months ago on March 1, 2020.
“The state added 1,071 deaths since the previous week’s report, up 74 percent from the week before. This brings the total statewide number of pandemic deaths to 40,766. The report indicates that 286 deaths occurred in the past seven days, but it can take officials up to two weeks to confirm and report a coronavirus-related death.”
“The Florida Department of Health announced in June that it would no longer release daily COVID-19 data. Instead, it is now releasing a weekly report every Friday, but withholds information that was publicly available before. As of June 4, the state no longer reports non-resident vaccinations, coronavirus cases and fatalities. The state has declined repeated requests to provide non-resident data to the Tampa Bay Times.”
The lack of information sharing by Florida government agencies is believed to be part of an effort to boost Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s 2024 Presidential election prospects.