Florida has seen a 46% increase in coronavirus tests each day over the past week. But only 4% of them test positive, according to Covid19-projections.com, a tracking website cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since the World Health Organization says that governments should only reopen when cases test below 5% for 14 days, this appears to be good news.
However, experts told CNN that Floridians and beach goers should still remain cautious. Johns Hopkins University released data that showed Florida has reported 1,000 new infections each day since last week as the state entered its second phase of reopening.
According to CNN, one of the most crucial numbers experts use in tracking the spread of the coronavirus is the "R" factor. The higher the R factor, the more the pandemic will spread. An R factor under 1 means fewer people will become infected. Currently, Florida has an R factor of 1.07, which indicates there is a slight increase in the rate of spread.
According to The New York Times, testing is often unreliable at times, so while the latest statistics state only 4% of the Florida cases tested positive, experts say several factors undermine the importance of this percentage.
"If you have had likely exposures and symptoms suggest COVID-19 infection, you probably have it — even if your test is negative," Dr. Harlan Krumholz, told the Times.
And according to Covid19-Projections.com, the "vast majority of infected individuals in our estimate do not get tested. As of June, we estimate that the true number of infected individuals is 5 times higher than the reported cases."
Florida joins California, Texas, and Illinois as the four states with the highest numbers of daily new cases, according to CNN. New York still has the highest recorded numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States.
Lynn C. Allison ✉
Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.