The number of hospitalizations in Florida with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 has fallen substantially over the last month, less than half what it was just a few weeks earlier. As of late Tuesday, the state discharged 308 more patients than it took in yesterday, lowering the overall hospitalized population to 6,423 people, down from 6,731 the day before.

That’s according to data posted by the federal government, because the State of Florida, on orders from Governor Ron DeSantis, has refused to post daily statistics for the general public.

The average number of daily new COVID-19 cases also continues to fall, the average now at 5,417 new daily cases, according to data gathered from the federal Centers for Disease Control. That’s well below the record-setting peaks in July and August, and is now falling below levels last seen after the 2021 post-spring break mini-surge last April.

Because reported deaths tend to lag several weeks behind new reported cases, the total and average number of COVID-19 related deaths is expected to fall rapidly, following the drop in new cases.

In fact, over the last eight days, the average number of daily deaths dropped to 311 from an all-time high of 445 on September 20th. But that number continues to linger well above previous all-time highs in Florida. The state’s worst daily average, prior to the summer surge, came on January 28th, 2021, about four weeks after the peak holiday travel season, when the state posted 185 average daily deaths. That record was broken on August 19th, and almost every day thereafter, until just last week.

Across the state, Publix, CVS and Walgreens are now offering booster shots to vulnerable populations who first received their booster shots more than six months earlier. Statistics show that the latest surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths are overwhelmingly occurring in unvaccinated individuals. Fewer than 10 percent of all serious cases are among those who have been vaccinated.