The number of Covid patients in Florida hospitals has risen to a new high, breaking records set during previous waves before vaccines were available. US health officials say 11,515 Florida residents are currently in hospital. Many are younger and healthier than patients seen earlier in the pandemic. On Saturday, Florida set a record for most new infections in a single day.

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis opposes efforts to make vaccines or masks mandatory. Across the US, one in three new cases last week were recorded in Florida or Texas. Hospital beds in Florida are quickly filling up. Some have already reached capacity, with patients placed in hallways, lobby waiting areas and makeshift overflow centres. It comes as vaccine rates, which have slowed since the spring, have begun to tick up again as the highly contagious Delta variant sweeps the country.

Over 70% of Americans have now received at least one vaccine jab, a milestone that President Joe Biden had hoped to hit by the 4 July Independence Day holiday. The vaccination rate in Florida roughly mirrors the national average, but is below the rates seen in many north-eastern states. About 50% of residents have been fully vaccinated, but the number is far higher among the state's large pensioner community.

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