Florida experiences 4.7% uptick in COVID-19 cases, 14% increase in deaths since entering phase one of reopening plan

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida would tentatively enter “phase one” of the state’s reopening process, Florida state officials reported a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases over a seven-day period.

Between April 27 and May 4, the latter date marking the start of phase one, Florida state officials reported 4,759 new cases of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. Between May 10 and May 17, Florida announced 4,992 additional cases of COVID-19, a relative 4.7% increase. The majority of cases are found in residents between the ages of 45 and 54.

According to data collected by the Florida Department of Health, statewide deaths increased by 14% between the four-day periods spanning May 1 to May 4 (85 new deaths) and May 14 to May 17 (98).

The increase in deaths related to COVID-19 follows a relatively successful three-day period between May 9 and May 11 that saw Florida report only 20 deaths. However, the Florida Department of Health’s official COVID-19 tracker states that “death data often has significant delays in reporting, so data within the past two weeks will be updated frequently.”

However, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties–the three Florida counties with the highest aggregate COVID-19 case totals–remain under stay at home orders.

Starting Monday, Florida gyms are allowed to reopen and retail businesses and restaurants can expand patronage from 25% to 50%. Gyms must also follow strict sanitation protocols.