State Surgeon General Implements Additional Review Process for Fatalities Attributed to COVID-19

Of the 95 fatalities reported to the state on October 21, 2020, 16 had at least a two-month separation between the time the individuals tested positive and passed away, and 11 of the fatalities occurred more than a month ago

Tallahassee – Florida's Surgeon General, Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, announced the Department of Health will conduct a more thorough review of all fatalities reported to the state.

Fatality data reported to the state consistently presents confusion and warrants a more rigorous review. Of the 95 fatalities reported to the state yesterday, 16 had more than a two-month separation between the time the individuals tested positive and passed away, and 11 of the deaths occurred more than a month ago.

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said, "During a pandemic, the public must be able to rely on accurate public health data to make informed decisions. To ensure the accuracy of COVID-19 related deaths, the Department will be performing additional reviews of all deaths. Timely and accurate data remains a top priority of the Department of Health.”

Of the 95 fatalities reported to the Florida Department of Health today:

11 were over 30 days old;
16 had at least two months between the time the individuals tested positive and passed away; and
5 had at least three months between the time the individuals tested positive and passed away.

Here is the data reported to the Department of Health on October 20, 2020:

Date Became Case (DOH made aware of positive test)	County	Age	Gender	Date of death
06/08/2020	Palm Beach	85	Female	09/27/2020
06/23/2020	Dade	58	Female	10/06/2020
06/25/2020	Palm Beach	87	Female	10/01/2020
06/25/2020	Palm Beach	63	Male	10/05/2020
06/28/2020	Sarasota	74	Male	09/20/2020
07/01/2020	Palm Beach	73	Female	10/02/2020
07/11/2020	Dade	61	Male	09/20/2020
07/12/2020	Palm Beach	76	Male	10/11/2020
07/19/2020	Dade	58	Male	10/02/2020
07/21/2020	Palm Beach	81	Female	10/19/2020
07/21/2020	Palm Beach	64	Female	10/02/2020
07/23/2020	Palm Beach	80	Female	09/21/2020
07/27/2020	Palm Beach	66	Female	10/09/2020
07/27/2020	Palm Beach	81	Male	09/20/2020
07/29/2020	Dade	50	Male	10/03/2020
07/30/2020	Palm Beach	93	Female	09/23/2020
07/30/2020	Palm Beach	94	Female	10/04/2020
08/03/2020	Marion	73	Male	10/06/2020
08/03/2020	Hernando	86	Male	10/07/2020
08/03/2020	Sarasota	54	Male	09/19/2020
08/07/2020	Palm Beach	91	Male	09/21/2020
08/13/2020	Sarasota	83	Male	10/11/2020
08/13/2020	Manatee	58	Female	09/08/2020
08/14/2020	Palm Beach	63	Male	10/12/2020
08/15/2020	Palm Beach	76	Female	09/29/2020
08/20/2020	Palm Beach	95	Male	09/19/2020
08/20/2020	Palm Beach	79	Female	10/09/2020
08/23/2020	Palm Beach	79	Male	09/22/2020
08/24/2020	Palm Beach	89	Female	09/22/2020
08/25/2020	Palm Beach	66	Female	09/23/2020
08/27/2020	Palm Beach	83	Male	09/24/2020
08/27/2020	Dade	70	Female	10/01/2020
08/28/2020	Martin	99	Female	10/11/2020
08/30/2020	Martin	76	Male	09/27/2020
09/01/2020	Palm Beach	62	Male	09/28/2020
09/01/2020	Marion	93	Male	09/27/2020
09/02/2020	Palm Beach	64	Male	10/01/2020
09/02/2020	Palm Beach	84	Male	09/19/2020
09/04/2020	Putnam	65	Male	09/24/2020
09/05/2020	Palm Beach	66	Male	09/21/2020
09/06/2020	Palm Beach	84	Female	09/21/2020
09/08/2020	Palm Beach	94	Female	10/08/2020
09/10/2020	Volusia	59	Male	10/19/2020
09/12/2020	Highlands	65	Male	10/06/2020
09/12/2020	Palm Beach	69	Female	09/29/2020
09/14/2020	Palm Beach	63	Male	10/06/2020
09/14/2020	Palm Beach	85	Male	09/25/2020
09/15/2020	Palm Beach	75	Female	09/22/2020
09/15/2020	Palm Beach	82	Female	10/10/2020
09/16/2020	Palm Beach	94	Female	10/07/2020
09/16/2020	Palm Beach	82	Female	09/23/2020
09/16/2020	Palm Beach	74	Female	10/03/2020
09/17/2020	Palm Beach	72	Male	10/06/2020
09/17/2020	Palm Beach	87	Male	10/04/2020
09/17/2020	Palm Beach	76	Male	10/04/2020
09/18/2020	Hernando	87	Male	10/07/2020
09/18/2020	Indian River	85	Female	10/01/2020
09/18/2020	Clay	75	Male	10/20/2020
09/18/2020	Palm Beach	76	Female	09/24/2020
09/19/2020	Palm Beach	80	Female	09/30/2020
09/20/2020	Palm Beach	97	Female	09/23/2020
09/21/2020	Dade	73	Female	09/26/2020
09/21/2020	Palm Beach	84	Male	09/26/2020
09/21/2020	Marion	72	Female	09/24/2020
09/21/2020	Volusia	80	Male	10/19/2020
09/23/2020	Martin	75	Male	10/12/2020
09/23/2020	Putnam	90	Male	10/18/2020
09/24/2020	Dade	80	Female	09/30/2020
09/25/2020	Palm Beach	59	Female	10/02/2020
09/25/2020	Sarasota	60	Female	10/02/2020
09/26/2020	Hernando	70	Female	10/13/2020
09/28/2020	Palm Beach	79	Female	10/09/2020
09/28/2020	Palm Beach	80	Female	10/08/2020
09/28/2020	Dade	76	Female	10/10/2020
09/28/2020	Sarasota	71	Female	10/13/2020
09/29/2020	Hernando	96	Female	10/06/2020
09/30/2020	Desoto	88	Male	10/06/2020
10/01/2020	Brevard	78	Male	10/14/2020
10/02/2020	Palm Beach	97	Female	10/05/2020
10/04/2020	Palm Beach	80	Male	10/11/2020
10/05/2020	Martin	90	Female	10/07/2020
10/07/2020	Palm Beach	80	Female	10/08/2020
10/09/2020	Pinellas	85	Female	10/19/2020
10/11/2020	Hernando	85	Male	10/11/2020
10/12/2020	Lee	84	Male	10/19/2020
10/13/2020	Sarasota	94	Female	10/17/2020
10/14/2020	Manatee	93	Male	10/15/2020
10/15/2020	Pinellas	79	Male	10/19/2020
10/16/2020	Palm Beach	36	Male	10/12/2020
10/19/2020	Sarasota	86	Male	10/07/2020
10/19/2020	Palm Beach	86	Female	10/10/2020
10/19/2020	Hillsborough	80	Male	09/17/2020
10/19/2020	Sarasota	81	Male	09/18/2020
10/20/2020	Orange	84	Female	07/26/2020
10/20/2020	Dade	74	Female	08/11/2020

More Information on COVID-19

To find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, please visit the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage. For information and advisories from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), please visit the CDC COVID-19 website, this website is also available in Spanish and Creole. For more information about current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State, please visit the travel advisory website.

For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling 1-(866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to COVID-19@flhealth.gov.