Florida sets new high for daily COVID-19 cases

Florida reported 24,753 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, setting yet another record for daily cases in the state since the start of the pandemic.

The record eclipses one that was set on Friday, when the Sunshine State reported 23,958 new cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Florida hospitals have also reported having 15,449 patients on Wednesday, up from a record 14,000 set two days prior, according the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The newspaper reported that the high count was reached after 230 of 261 hospitals reporting their COVID-19 patients to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The numbers come as the delta variant, spreading mostly among the unvaccinated, fuels the latest outbreak across the U.S.

The Sun Sentinel notes that the newest group of patients in Florida’s hospital is mainly people between the ages of 25 and 55 who are unvaccinated and mostly have no underlying health conditions.

The state has administered more than 23 million coronavirus vaccine doses, according to Johns Hopkins University, and 51.2 percent of the state’s population has been fully vaccinated.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has banned local mask and vaccine mandates amid the latest surge, often downplaying the severity or deflecting away from questions about the skyrocketing cases in his state.

The Biden administration sent about 200 ventilators and 100 smaller breathing devices to Florida at the state’s request.

The state reportedly requested 300 ventilators, but DeSantis said he wasn’t aware that of the request and doubted reports that the state made the request.