Florida Coronavirus Deaths Will Peak Earlier and be Higher

(TNS) - A widely used model of the impact of coronavirus now shows Florida’s peak in deaths will come earlier — and be higher — than previously estimated.

The University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Sunday update shows Florida’s peak is expected on April 21, at which point the state will see 242 deaths per day.
The model, which has been updated about once a week, previously had projected a peak in early May, with 136 deaths a day.

On Sunday evening, the total number of deaths in Florida from the new coronavirus stood at 221, an increase of 13% from the night before. Palm Beach County’s reported deaths doubled in 24 hours to 49 — the largest number in the state.

At least 12,350 people have now tested positive for the new coronavirus across Florida, the state Department of of Health reported Sunday evening, an increase of about of about 800 cases since a report about 24 hours earlier.

Miami-Dade has the largest number, 4,146, of total cases. Broward has 1,886 cases and Palm Beach County has 1,000.

As of Sunday evening, Palm Beach County has recorded 49 deaths, Broward has had 40, and Miami-Dade County 31.

On Saturday night, Palm Beach County had reported 25 deaths, Broward had 32, and Miami-Dade County had 31.

There are now almost 1.3 million cases of the disease worldwide, and more than 69,000 people have died. In the United States, there are about 331,000 cases, and the U.S. death toll had reached 9,458 on Sunday evening. New York City leads the nation with 2,256 deaths.

As coronavirus sickens dispatchers and deputies, concerns mount about protective equipment
The deaths of two South Florida deputies in recent days from the new coronavirus are heightening calls for better protection for the front-line troops who are policing the streets and working in jails.

Union leaders in Broward County say that deputies and corrections officers have to reuse masks and go through their supervisors to get other critical supplies, such as gowns and gloves. | Read more.
Florida emergency chief offers assurances on ICU beds, ventilators.

Florida’s emergency management chief, Jared Moskowitz, said Sunday the state would be able to meet the need for critical care hospital beds and ventilators when the demand peaks. Officials in New York and elsewhere have raised alarms about shortages.

Moskowitz also said in an interview with WPLG-Ch. 10 that the state has a dedicated team of people assigned to plan for how the state should deal with the threat of a hurricane during a time of coronavirus. And, he said, his criticism of industrial giant 3M over distribution “obviously struck a nerve,” but hasn’t yet produced a satisfactory response. 
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