Florida Reports Single-Digit CCP Virus Deaths for First Time Since September

A man receives medical treatment in a file photo taken in Florida. Gerald Herbert/File/AP Photo

Newly reported deaths related to COVID-19 dropped to the single digits in the state of Florida for the first time in months, health officials confirmed on April 11.

The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) said seven Floridians, as well as two nonresidential citizens, died as a result of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the Palm Beach Post reported.

COVID-19 is caused by the CCP virus, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, which originated in China in late 2019.

The last time the Sunshine State saw COVID-19 deaths drop to the single digits was on Sept. 28, 2020, when just five people died after contracting the virus.

Though deaths from the virus remain low, positive cases in the state increased by 5,520—at a positivity rate of 7.65 percent, according to data by the FDOH. Florida has now gone more than two weeks with fewer than 100 daily deaths from the CCP virus, with numbers ranging between 22 and 98, the Post reported.

According to the latest data provided by the FDOH, the state has verified more than 2.1 million positive COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, and 34,021 deaths. Another 664 nonresidents have died in the state as a result of the CCP virus.

California—the most populous state in the United States—was the only state nationwide reporting a triple-digit increase in COVID-19 deaths on April 11. The state reported an increase of 105 deaths and 4,954 people who tested positive for the virus, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Florida has no statewide restrictions and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has prohibited municipalities from fining people who refuse to wear masks.

By contrast, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the nation’s first statewide shutdown because of the CCP virus; implementing masks mandates, banning indoor dining, and significantly limiting many other activities.

Despite their differing approaches, the two states have experienced almost identical outcomes in CCP virus case rates.

According to a March report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California and Florida both have a COVID-19 case rate of around 8,900 per 100,000 residents since the start of the pandemic.

Though research has suggested that mask mandates and limits on group activities such as indoor dining can help slow the spread of the CCP virus, states with greater government-imposed restrictions haven’t always fared better than those without them.

Although Florida has apparently made headway in combating the pandemic, the state is reportedly leading nationwide in cases of a variant of the CCP virus first found in the United Kingdom, with more than 3,500 cases identified so far.

The CDC said in an updated report on April 9 that B.1.1.7, also known as the UK variant, is now the most common in the United States, with a total of 20,915 cases.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News