Florida Reports 5,000 New COVID-19 Cases for Second Day

Florida is reporting new COVID-19 cases at a staggering rate, disclosing more than 5,000 for the second day in a row. The 5,004 recorded on Thursday is the state’s second-highest one-day total, behind Wednesday’s tally of 5,508. Officials also reported 46 new deaths on Thursday. While Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has blamed increased testing for the higher numbers, public health experts say that is far from the full story. The Miami Herald reports that the state is not releasing hospitalization numbers that would provide an accurate picture of severe illness, Miami-Dade County revealed that its hospitalizations hit an all-time high of 885 on Thursday—although doctors also say patients are younger and not as critically ill as they were in April.