Florida’s new COVID-19 cases continue to drop, but new deaths surpass previous week

Health officials reported a drop in the statewide positivity rate — 18%, which is down from 23.5% a week ago. At its worst during the delta wave, Florida’s test positivity climbed as high as 20.5% for the week ending Aug. 19, however, the positivity rate soared as high as 31.3% during the omicron surge.