Florida reports 138 more coronavirus-related deaths as country’s death toll tops 300,000

ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida health officials reported 8,452 new cases of COVID-19, as cases continue to climb past 1 million in Florida and the countrywide death toll tops 300,000.

To date, there have been 1,134,383 cases of COVID-19 reported in the state. Florida marks the third state to surpass the 1-million-cases milestone, joining Texas and California.

There were another 138 deaths linked to the virus, according to the Florida Department of Health. Of the recent deaths, 27 were reported in Central Florida.

READ: ‘A historic day’: First patients receive COVID-19 vaccine in Florida

The state’s death toll now stand at 20,271, according to the most recent report.

The country’s COVID-19 deaths have topped 300,000, according to The Associated Press.

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 300,000 Monday just as the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots in a monumental campaign to conquer the outbreak.

The number of dead rivals the population of St. Louis or Pittsburgh. It is equivalent to repeating a tragedy on the scale of Hurricane Katrina every day for 5 1/2 months. It is more than five times the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. It is equal to a 9/11 attack every day for more than 100 days.

“The numbers are staggering -- the most impactful respiratory pandemic that we have experienced in over 102 years, since the iconic 1918 Spanish flu,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said days before the milestone.

READ: US COVID-19 deaths top 300,000 just as vaccinations begin

A list of COVID-19 testing sites in Orange County can be found here.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis described Monday as “a historic day” as the first patients in Florida received the COVID-19 vaccine and thousands of other doses were being distributed across the state.

DeSantis spoke at Tampa General Hospital along with hospital CEO John Couris and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz.

Video: ‘A historic day’: First patient receives COVID-19 vaccine in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described Monday as “a historic day” as the first patient in Florida received the COVID-19 vaccine and thousands of other doses were being dis

“This is a really, really significant milestone in combating the coronavirus pandemic,” DeSantis said.

READ: Florida hospitals prepare to administer first round of COVID-19 vaccines

Tampa General is one of the first hospitals in Florida, along with AdventHealth in Orlando, to receive the vaccine.

Distribution of the vaccine began Monday across the U.S. Thousands of vials of long-anticipated vaccine are expected to arrive in all 50 states Monday, as strained health care center staffs scurry to handle record hospitalizations.

Many people are wondering when they may be eligible to get the shot.

To give people across the country an idea of when they may be able to get vaccinated from the virus, The New York Times launched a tool for people to calculate where they fall in the long line of Americans looking to get vaccinated.