Saturday, the state of Florida reported more new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control than any previous day in the coronavirus pandemic: 21,683.

That’s a 12.1% jump over the previous record, Jan. 7’s 19,334 cases during the worst month of the pandemic. Daily case counts routinely surpassed 10,000 as the pandemic peaked a second time. In the succeeding months, daily case counts returned to 2,000 and 8,000.

By comparison, on July 12, 2020, the state reported a then-national record of 15,300 cases.

Florida, which represents about 6.5% of the U.S. population, accounts for about 21.4% of the country’s new cases, based on the data the state is reporting to the CDC.

Florida also reported 108 deaths Saturday, eight days after reporting 148 deaths. Before this most recent surge, you have to go back to March 26 to find a higher single-day death count (159).

SOUTH FLORIDA VACCINATIONS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS

The CDC rated the level of community transmission in each Florida county as “high.”

▪ In Miami-Dade County, 1,662,045 people, 61.2% of the total population, have completed their vaccination regimen. The positive […]