Florida COVID weekly report: Miami-Dade sees slight uptick in new cases

What is the COVID-19 situation like in Florida?

As of Thursday, Nov. 24, the state has added an average of 1,665 cases and 22 deaths per day in the past seven days, according to Miami Herald calculations of data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from an average of 1,761 cases per day and 26 deaths per day in the previous seven-day period.

The CDC did not publish reports on Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday but did the following week.

COVID information shifting to weekly trends. What to know about finding the report

As of Tuesday, Nov. 29, more than 14,815,000 people were fully vaccinated in Florida. The state has logged at least 7,239,181 cases and 82,869 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The number of cases is likely an undercount due to positive results from at-home COVID testing. The state tracks only resident cases and deaths, excluding nonresidents.

Here’s a breakdown of what to know this week:

Tracking COVID variants

Six new omicron subvariants — BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7, BA.2.75, BA.2 and BA.5.2.6 — are gaining traction, spreading throughout the United States. This is in addition to omicron’s two subvariants, BA.5 and BA.4.6.

From Nov. 20 to Nov. 26, the BQ.1.1 strain was the most dominant strain in the United States, accounting for 29.4% of cases. The BQ.1 variant is now the second-most dominant strain, accounting for 27.9% of cases, according to CDC data.

In the Southeast region, which includes Florida, BQ.1.1 made up 30.1% of cases and BA.1 accounted for 24.5%, the most dominant strain and second most.

COVID spread in South Florida

In the past week, Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach and Manatee counties have remained at a low COVID-19 risk level.

Under this level, the CDC recommends staying up-to-date with coronavirus vaccines and getting tested if you have symptoms. Masks are recommended only for those with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to the virus.

South Florida and Manatee County COVID-19 Cases

From Nov. 18 to Nov. 23, Florida recorded 11,658 new cases, according to Miami Herald calculations of the CDC’s Community Profile Report published Friday.

Here’s a breakdown of the new COVID cases in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the report.

▪ Miami-Dade reported 2,404 new resident cases in the week ending Nov. 24, reaching a cumulative total of 1,474,684 since March 2020, when the pandemic began. New cases were 6% higher than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing increased by 0.12%.

▪ Broward reported 1,183 new resident cases, reaching a cumulative total of 741,559. New cases were 4.90% lower than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing increased by 0.27%.

▪ Palm Beach reported 897 new resident cases, reaching a cumulative total of 457,678. New cases were 11.01% higher than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 1.79%.

▪ Monroe reported 21 new resident cases, reaching a cumulative total of 22,084. New cases were 43.24% lower than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing increased by 1.72%.

▪ Manatee reported 193 new resident cases, reaching a cumulative total of 118,630. New cases were 10.23% lower than those added in the previous week, and COVID-19 testing decreased by 0.06%.

South Florida and Manatee County COVID deaths

Florida has added 155 deaths in the past week, according to Miami Herald calculations of the CDC’s Friday Community Profile Report.

It is unclear when these newly reported deaths occurred. The Community Profile Report updates Florida’s county tolls and rates about once every seven days.

As of Friday’s Community Profile Report, Florida had a rate of 386 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic.

Here’s where death rates and tolls stand in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:

▪ Miami-Dade’s death toll is 11,920, an increase of 10 deaths from last Friday’s report. That’s a rate of 439 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

▪ Broward’s death toll is 6,493, an increase of eight. That’s a rate of 333 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

▪ Palm Beach’s death toll is 5,749, an increase of 13. That’s a rate of 384 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

▪ Monroe’s death toll is 132, no increase. The county would be at a death rate of 178 deaths per 100,000 people if its population were that large.

▪ Manatee’s death toll is 1,649, an increase of three. Manatee has a rate of 409 cumulative deaths per 100,000 people.

Florida COVID-19 vaccinations

About 14,815,370 eligible Floridians — 69% of the state’s population — have completed the two-dose series of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or have completed Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.

Here’s how many people have received a booster in South Florida and Manatee County, according to the CDC:

▪ In Miami-Dade, about 854,114 people, or 35.9% of the fully vaccinated population, have received a booster.

▪ In Broward, about 603,320 people have received a booster, or 42.2% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Palm Beach, about 473,005 people have received a booster, or 46.3% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Monroe, about 25,023 people have received a booster, or 41.7% of the fully vaccinated population.

▪ In Manatee, about 122,555 people have received a booster, or 47.6% of the fully vaccinated population.