Florida surpasses 50K COVID deaths after battling delta wave

By TERRY SPENCER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

MIAMI (AP) — Health officials say the state of Florida has surpassed 50,000 coronavirus deaths since the pandemic began. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied 50,811 deaths after adding more than 1,500 COVID-19 deaths provided by state authorities on Thursday. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the latest wave was “really rough,” striking younger and healthier people, including numerous police officers and firefighters. More than one fourth of the total COVID-19 deaths in the state occurred this summer as the state battled a fierce surge in infections fueled by the delta variant.