New COVID case count in Florida is the lowest in weeks, but deaths top 86,000

The latest COVID-19 report from the Florida Department of Health reflected a steady decline in new cases – the lowest number in at least 10 weeks.

The report, issued Friday, showed 14,026 cases reported from Feb. 10 through Thursday in the state.

The report said more than 86,000 Florida residents have died with COVID-19 since the pandemic started in 2020, with 77 percent of the deaths involving people 65 or older.

As of Thursday, 86,294 resident deaths had been reported. By comparison, 84,927 deaths had been reported as of Jan. 19.

The new data said 66,541 deaths had been reported of people age 65 or older. On the other end of the spectrum, 53 deaths had been reported of people under age 16.

Because of lags in reporting, it is unclear when the additional deaths occurred.

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