Daily US Times: Florida reported 21,683 new coronavirus infections, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, federal health data released Saturday shows, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear facemasks indoors.
The state has become the new national epicenter for the Covid-19, accounting for around a fifth of all new coronavirus infections in the United States as the highly contagious delta variant of the virus continues to spread.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has resisted mandatory vaccine requirements and mask mandates, and along with the state Legislature, has limited local officials’ ability to impose restrictions meant to stop the spread of the virus.
On Friday, DeSantis barred school districts from requiring students to wear facemasks when classes resume next month.
The latest data was recorded on Friday and released on Saturday on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
The data shows how quickly the number of coronavirus cases is rising in the Sunshine State: only a day earlier, the state of Florida reported 17,093 new daily cases.
The previous peak in the state had been 19,334 cases reported on January 7, before the availability of vaccinations became widespread.
This week, Florida reported 409 deaths, bringing the total to more than 39,000 since its first in March last year. The state’s peak happened in mid-August last year, when 1,266 people died over a seven-day period. Deaths usually follow increases in hospitalizations by a few weeks.
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