As omicron cases keep surging, the CDC is sticking to its definition of what it means to be “fully vaccinated.” NBC 6’s Carlos Suarez a look at the headlines that came out of Wednesday’s briefing.
Florida added nearly 60,000 more COVID-19 cases Wednesday, as hospitalizations in the state continued to rise.
The 59,487 new cases pushed the state's total to 4,419,665 since the pandemic began, according to figures released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Florida's 7-day moving average for daily cases has risen to over 50,000 in recent days, after it had dropped below 1,300 as recently as last month.
Last week, Florida set records for daily cases for five straight days, peaking with 75,902 on Dec. 30. It was one of four days last week where Florida reported more than 50,000 new cases.
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The record-breaking numbers came as the omicron variant surged in Florida and across the country amid the holidays.
The latest report from the Florida Department of Health released Friday showed Florida's positivity rate rose to 26.5%, after it had dropped to just 2.1% in mid-November.
As of Wednesday, there were 7,647 inpatient beds in use for COVID-19, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That number was 6,914 on Tuesday.
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Wednesday's figures are from 236 Florida hospitals that reported, and account for 14.06% of the state's inpatient beds.
Hospitalizations remain well below this past summer's delta surge, when they peaked at more than 17,100.
The state's Covid-related death toll since the pandemic began is 62,542.
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