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Florida Coronavirus Update: 38 Positive Cases In Broward, 23 In Miami-Dade; State Launches New Tracker

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – There are 19 new positive COVID-19 cases in Florida bringing the state total to 155. One thirty seven of those are Florida residents and 18 are non-Florida residents.

Broward County has 38 confirmed infections, more than any other county in the state. Of those 38 Broward cases, 15 are travel-related, the ages of the infected range from 19-83, and men account for 21 cases, while 17 are women.

In Miami-Dade, there are 23 cases. Of those 23, 10 are travel-related, the ages of the infected range from 18-77, and men account for 15 cases, while eight are women.

The Florida Department of Health released these new numbers Monday afternoon along with an updated COVID-19 Case Dashboard, which will be updated twice daily.

 

In addition, Florida recently partnered with private laboratories around the state to expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity. This is increasing the number of tests conducted each day and those test results, from both the state and private laboratories, are being included in the new COVID-19 Case Dashboard.

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State officials said they were preparing to set up mobile hospitals to help boost capacity, should the number of infections surge beyond the ability of the state's hospitals to handle the caseload.

That is why social distancing is so important on both the large scale and individual scale.

In addition to canceling major events and even schools, local officials are instituting capacity limits on theaters and clubs.

Individual social distancing is also very important to reduce the spread of the virus. People should avoid crowded spaces such as bars and grocery stores. Get-togethers like birthday parties and play dates for children should be avoided.

Try to stay 6 feet away from other people whenever possible, especially if those around you seem to have symptoms.

The more extreme social-distancing measures a person can take include self-quarantining. This means staying home, not welcoming visitors into your home and avoiding sharing household items.

The main goal of social distancing is to "flatten the curve," which refers to reducing the peak number of cases at any one time during the outbreak. By flattening the curve, the number of people simultaneously infected will be much lower than if no measures were taken. This ensures that the health-care system is not overburdened, though it can mean that the outbreak will be somewhat prolonged.

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