State nears 60,000 COVID-19 deaths

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service of Florida) - Florida is approaching 60,000 reported COVID-19 deaths, though the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals continues to drop.

A report issued Friday by the state Department of Health said Florida has had 59,670 reported resident deaths since the pandemic started in early 2020. That was up from 58,803 a week earlier, but lags in reporting make it unclear when the deaths occurred.

Meanwhile, after a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in July and August, the number of hospital inpatients with the disease has continued to steadily decrease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted data Monday that showed 1,965 inpatients at Florida hospitals had COVID-19, down from 2,333 a week earlier.

Also, the new data showed 480 COVID-19 patients were in intensive-care units, down from 573 a week earlier.