There are now 25,492 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus within the State of Florida. The hospitalization rate among confirmed cases is at 15%. There have been 748 Coronavirus fatalities in the State of Florida or nearly 3% of all confirmed cases.
MIAMI-DADE
The County accounts for 36% of all the COVID-19 cases in the State of Florida with 9,045 total cases. The hospitalization rate within Miami-Dade county is at 10% for a total of 866 hospitalizations. The number of fatalities in Miami-Dade has doubled in the past week to 198 deaths. The local rate of fatalities has continued to increase and is now at 2.2%. Last week, that rate was just 1.3%. The jump in the reported numbers also followed an NBC 6 report that claimed the “State Asked Miami-Dade to Restrict Information of COVID-19 Deaths.”
33166
The State of Florida Department of Health is reporting 70 cases of the Coronavirus within our zip code, 33166. As you know, Miami Springs represents 55% of the population within our zip code. Does that mean we have 55% of the cases? Not necessarily. We could have even more cases or we could have fewer cases.
The State of Florida does produce a report that shows the number of cases within each municipality. However, we’ve seen so many errors in this report, we believe it’s unreliable.
For example, Miami-Dade has adopted new cities:
And Kendall, which is technically not a municipality, is reported to only have 2 cases. Really?
Now, the City of Miami Springs continues to report the number shown from this report. Currently, that report stands at just 3. But if we know there are 70 cases within our zip code, and Miami Springs represents 55% of the population, do you really think we only have 3 cases or just 4% of the cases? Of course not. Now, we don’t fault the City of Miami Springs for publishing a number from the “official” state produced document. What we’re pointing out is that this specific state document is full of errors and problems.
So we have 2 sources of data. A zip code report that says 70 cases within our area. And we have a municipality report full of errors that shows only 3 cases. Oh, and we have the added issue that many people who enter the data into a computer will enter the zip code 33166 which will most likely default to “Miami” thus being another reason Miami Springs would be under reported. In case you’re wondering, “Miami” is over-reported relative the share of people who actually live within the City of Miami.
So, how many cases are there in Miami Springs? The answer is, without a full address, nobody knows. But with 70 cases within our zip code, I think it’s safe to say, we have more than just 3 cases within our city. Is it 55% of the 70 cases? Maybe. Is it more? Maybe. Is it less. Maybe.
Bottom line, we shouldn’t have a false sense of security that there are only a few cases in our neighborhood. There are 70 cases in our area and we need to treat everyone as if they have the Coronavirus. Practice social distancing. Wear a mask. And wash your hands for 20 seconds.
Stay safe everybody!
