Florida’s Coronavirus Fatality Rate Below Several Blue States, 10% of Population Tested

JACKSONVILLE BEACH - JULY 04: A lifeguard watches swimmers on July 04, 2020 in Jacksonvill
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Hannah Knudsen

Florida’s coronavirus case fatality rate remains lower than several states led by Democrat governors, such as New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) outlined on Monday. He noted 10 percent of Florida’s population has been tested for the virus — a factor that may be considered when analyzing the Sunshine State’s recent spike in cases.

DeSantis outlined several key facts regarding the spike in cases in Florida, as critics hurry to assign doomsday scenarios to the state, dubbed the next coronavirus hotspot. Many are urging the governor to reverse the reopening process and take drastic measures, such as issuing a statewide mask order.

The governor has refused to succumb to the critics, encouraging a close look at the data instead.

While it is true Florida has continued to report thousands of new cases per day — breaking its all-time single-day case high on Saturday with 11,458 new cases — testing has increased dramatically. The state, which has a population of over 21 million, has tested over 2.2 million, or 10 percent of the population.

The state tested “nearly 400,000 people” the week of 6/29 alone — one of the factors leading to what appears to be a sudden burst in cases:

The governor has been careful to point out cases have also been on the rise due to increased social interactions among the younger demographic. This is significant, as the virus appears to have less of an impact on younger people, many of whom are asymptomatic.

The current age with the most cases in Florida is 21:

Blue state governors, like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), have been quick to slam the way DeSantis and other Republican governors handled the virus.

“You played politics with this virus, and you lost,” Cuomo said last month.

Current data, however, shows Florida in far better shape in terms of the case fatality rate, which on Monday sat at 1.9 percent. DeSantis compared the numbers to Connecticut (9.3 percent), New Jersey (8.6 percent), Michigan (8.5 percent), New York (7.6 percent), Massachusetts (7.4 percent), Pennsylvania (7.2 percent), and Illinois (4.9 percent).

The governor also pointed to a recent CDC seroprevalance study, showing that the coronavirus was “likely far more widespread than we thought at the beginning of March.”

“The virus has been around for quite some time,” he said, as the study suggested the cases were likely 11 times higher than suspected:

Leaders in Florida, unlike Pennsylvania and New York, also took decisive action at the beginning of the pandemic to protect the most vulnerable — those residing in long-term care facilities. Officials prohibited those who tested positive for the virus to be readmitted to the facilities. Pennsylvania’s Tom Wolf (D) and New York’s Gov.

Cuomo did not initially take the same action, leading to thousands of deaths in those facilities within their states:

Despite the surge in cases, DeSantis has not indicated any intention of closing down the state, leaving those decisions to local leaders. Miami-Dade County, for instance, took that step, announcing the closure of gyms, fitness centers, certain entertainment venues, and indoor dining this week.

Nonetheless, the governor is actively encouraging Floridians statewide to remain mindful of the “Three Cs,” avoiding crowded places, closed spaces, and close contact:

The state reported 7,347 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 213,794 cases reported since March 1. Florida resident deaths stood at 3,841 as of Tuesday.

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