JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While health experts are concerned that the Labor Day holiday could spread additional cases of coronavirus, data released Monday by the Florida Department of Health show the increase in cases continues to drop from peaks experienced in June and July -- after spikes in cases after Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
The state added 1,838 new cases its dashboard on Monday, bringing the total to 648,269 -- but the smallest daily increase since June 15. Growth in local caseloads was well off the summer peaks, but more similar to other recent days.
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The Florida Health Department said 4.8 million tests have now been conducted in the state in the last six months. Of the 43,445 tests where results came back Sunday, 4.55% of those were positive for the virus -- the 26th consecutive day the positivity rate was below 10% and the third time the rate has dropped below 5% in the past two weeks.
Florida surpassed 12,000 deaths linked to the coronavirus on Sunday, but added only 22 on Monday, according to state data. Over the past week the state has averaged about 100 deaths per day.
There was one new death reported Monday in Northeast Florida: an 88-year-old man in Duval County who had known contact with a person who had tested positive for the virus.
Nearly 3,200 infected people were being treated in hospitals for the virus.