Florida sets new coronavirus daily record with more than 3,000 cases

Health officials in Florida reported another 3,207 coronavirus cases on Thursday, marking a new daily record as the state continues to see its numbers rise in the ongoing pandemic.

The cases reported Thursday surpassed the 2,783 cases reported two days earlier by health officials in the state, marking a new record for the state, according to USA Today.

Florida has reported a total of 85,926 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the outbreak and 3,061 fatalities.

There were 43 reported deaths related to coronavirus reported on Thursday. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has said that the increase in cases is due to expanded testing across the state, as well as spikes among groups of farmworkers and residents and employees of nursing homes, Fox 13 reported.

“You have to have society function, you have to be able to have a cohesive society, that’s the best way to be able to deal with the impacts of the virus,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “But particularly when you have a virus that disproportionately impacts one segment of society, to suppress a lot of working-age people at this point I don’t think would likely be very effective.”

Despite the increase in confirmed reports, DeSantis has continually said that the state is “not shutting down, we are going to go forward.” He vowed that the state would “continue to protect the most vulnerable,” according to the outlet.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat, blasted DeSantis’s handling of the pandemic after the reported high on Tuesday, saying that the official has “lost control of Florida’s COVID-19 response.”

“His policies are simply not working, and he’s recklessly reopening Florida despite the data screaming for caution,” Fried said at the time in a statement.