Florida broke its single-day record for COVID-19 cases again Saturday with 9,585 cases in 24 hours.
June 27 (UPI) — Florida broke its single-day record for COVID-19 cases again Saturday with 9,585 cases in 24 hours.
The statewide numbers broke Friday’s record of 8,942 cases as COVID-19 cases surged from a previous record of 5,508 new cases Thursday.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the Florida Department of Health said Saturday that 132,545 cases have been reported statewide and over 3,300 people have died from the virus.
Out of 67 counties statewide, new cases Saturday show that South Florida counties have been hardest hit. Miami-Dade County alone reported 1,366 new cases, Broward County reported 726 new cases, and Palm Beach County reported 430 new cases.
About 1.83 million people statewide have been tested for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, the Florida Department of Health said Saturday. In South Florida, 9.2 percent of people tested for COVID-19 have been diagnosed. Statewide, about 7.2 percent of people tested have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Florida and Texas both closed bars Friday as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations increased.
In Texas, more than 5,100 new COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals Friday, the 15th straight day of record hospitalizations.
Texas Gov. Greg Abott told ABC-7 he regretted opening bars earlier.
“If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the re-opening of bars,” Abbott told ABC-17. “Now, seeing in the aftermath of how quickly the coronavirus spread in the bar setting.”
Patrons “go to bars to get close and to drink and to socialize, and that’s the kind of thing that stokes the spread of the coronavirus,” Abbott added.
In Hidalgo County, Texas, officials Thursday imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for those 17 and under and 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for those above 18. The county has also mandated face mask use in businesses and has encouraged residents to stay home when possible.
Since the pandemic began, Texas Health and Human Services has reported 137,624 cases of COVID-19 and 2,324 fatalities. Hidalgo County alone reported 179 new cases Saturday bringing total cases to 2,892 cases with 31 deaths. The number of new cases was down from 210 new cases in Hidalgo County Thursday.
On Friday, Abbott also ordered restaurants to limit dine-in service capacity to no more than 50 percent beginning Monday.
