There are over three million confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide and over 250,000 deaths linked to the disease as of May 5, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center. In Florida, there are over 36,000 confirmed cases and nearly 1,400 deaths statewide.

According to the Florida Department of Health website, Palm Beach County has over 3,300 positive COVID-19 cases and 196 deaths. Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties have the bulk of state’s confirmed cases and will re-open more slowly than the rest of the state, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis formed a task force in April to explore how to loosen stay-at-home orders in the state, but he mentioned it could take longer for South Florida to get up and running again. 

“By getting society to function again, that begins with the reopening of parks and outdoor spaces before moving on to restaurants with masks and social distancing still in place,” DeSantis said.

On April 17, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation changed its model for the state of Florida drastically, forecasting that we will have 1,363 more deaths by Aug. 4, much lower than the 4,748 deaths that were predicted earlier. The model shows that Florida has already passed its predicted peak of deaths per day, which had previously been projected to happen in early May.

COVID-19 testing is now more widely available across the state, according to the Florida Department of Health. Call your healthcare provider or the County Health Department if you think you need a test. Florida’s COVID-19 Call Center is available 24/7 at 1-866-779-6121. You can also reach the center via email at [email protected].